A reputable company for shipping a series 1

[artpeck]

My apologies for asking this question again as I know this has been asked and answered before but none of my searches have yielded any information.

I need to ship a newly acquired s1 from Utah to California. All I want is a reputable and decently priced shipper so it is hassle free. I don't need the cheapest but i also don't want to get ripped off.

Any suggestions based on experience? Much appreciated.

Art

[leafsprung]

drop me a note via email

[artpeck]

Tried to send a pm but your box is full.

[jonnyc]

Might be lots more fun to rent a trailer and transport it yourself.

[leafsprung]

Email is best I can give you a rundown but give Carla at bulleye auto transport a call. You can tell her I referred you.

[artpeck]

Thanks. Maybe I am missing it but I don't have your email. Art

Mine is art.peck@gmail.com

[mongoswede]

I have had good luck with DAS. http://www.dasautoshippers.com/ Shipped an old Saab from Oregon to New Jersey a couple of years ago for about $850 with insurance and it took 1 week to get here. Utah to California should be quite a bit less. The major points are that the vehicle should not be leaking fluids and should be driveable (I know...its a Land Rover...so those might be a bit of a stretch )

[leafsprung]

DAS is bad news

[mongoswede]

DAS is bad news

Unicorns fighting Vampires is bad news. Please ellaborate or your comment is not worth the internet bandwidth it occupies.

My experience with DAS was very good. They were easy to deal with, they were very prompt in their delivery, the car had absolutely no damage on it and the price was very reasonable. It is certainly possible that I had a good experience where others have not. But please expand your comments into something meaningful and useful to the rest of us.

[artpeck]

Thanks for the thoughts here. I have done quite a bit of Internet research on this and it seems that 1) there is an almost infitinite number of brokers out there and 2) that reviews such as you can trust them are all over the map. I suspect it has to do with many things not the least being that the brokers are virtually all contracting to third party truckers who also probably vary from great to terrible. So my conclusion is that one man's great experience could be another man's disappointment...or worse.

Which leaves me a bit feeling at the mercy of the luck of the draw. I am going to be in Jackson WY in Septermber and am thinking of flying to Salt Lake and driving the truck to San Francisco. Anyone think a 1957 S1 is up to a 700 mile drive through the Nevada dessert and over the Sierra Nevada mountains on interstate 80??? Yes I know it's crazy. More likely I would rent a truck and trailer it back.

[mongoswede]

Thanks for the thoughts here. I have done quite a bit of Internet research on this and it seems that 1) there is an almost infitinite number of brokers out there and 2) that reviews such as you can trust them are all over the map. I suspect it has to do with many things not the least being that the brokers are virtually all contracting to third party truckers who also probably vary from great to terrible. So my conclusion is that one man's great experience could be another man's disappointment...or worse.

Which leaves me a bit feeling at the mercy of the luck of the draw. I am going to be in Jackson WY in Septermber and am thinking of flying to Salt Lake and driving the truck to San Francisco. Anyone think a 1957 S1 is up to a 700 mile drive through the Nevada dessert and over the Sierra Nevada mountains on interstate 80??? Yes I know it's crazy. More likely I would rent a truck and trailer it back.

It will be an adventure. I would avoid the interstate...there is nothing scarier than having semi's running up your back at almost twice your speed.

As far as shippers go...you might see if you can find some of the smaller car haulers...the guys that haul 1 or 2 cars at a time and do door to door service. Maybe search around on some of the other classic car forums or talk to a place like Hemmings Motor News to see if they have any experience.

[artpeck]

Yeah adventure is one word. I won't do it as I won't even have had the chance to go through the truck and validate basic safety and road worthiness. That and the average speed between salt lake and Reno is probably 90Mph+.

Unfortunately I 80 is really the only option unless you add a lot of miles to the trip. I will share what I ultimately do for others' reference. I am talking to a small family owned operation who seems legit and has consistently very good references.

The S1 is then going into storage until I have time to work more on it.

On a different note I took the soft top and door tops off my 95 D-90 and installed a new Bimini top from our hosts. The perfect summer vehicle. I can't get my 19 year old son out of it.

[CRiordan01]

Avoid GeoExpress if the name comes up. They did thousands in damage to my truck in shipping (which their insurances eventually paid most of)...believe this company was filing to avoid similar claims and reestablishing operation under a new name. Throwing it out there just in case the name does crop up. A couple of suggestions...if you use one of the big brokers to locate a transporter for you, make sure the transport company has more than a few trucks...less likely to dissolve because of multiple complaints. Also video the loading process of the truck. We have the driver running mine off the ramp during loading. Insurance did not question! My two cents. Good luck.

[Winemark]

I followed Ike's advice and went with Bullseye and Carla was teriffic to work with. The trans company she contracted picked my Series up exactly when they said they would. It is coming from Boston and due in Oregon next Friday or Saturday, the actual carrier is Portland based.
I will give a more complete review then. If anyone spots a Poppy Red SII out on the interstate on a carrier wave to her.

[artpeck]

Good to know. Have already contacted Carla and she had been a delight so far. Will report back which ever way I go.