Wrote off enclosed transport as a waste of money until my drop top got a rock chip through an open carrier | Auto Transport Recommendations - Babble Community
Wrote off enclosed transport as a waste of money until my drop top got a rock chip through an open carrier
Moving from Phoenix to Denver, I went with the cheaper open trailer to save about $400 and figured a little dirt was no big deal. The driver called me 20 miles out saying a semi kicked up gravel and cracked my windshield, and the whole run took 9 days instead of the 4 they promised. Has anyone here actually had a good experience with a specific enclosed hauler, or did I just get unlucky with that open carrier?
My brother shipped his 69 Camaro from Tucson to Seattle back in 2019 and the enclosed guy made him drain the gas tank to a quarter and sign a paper saying no fluids could leak, which felt like a lot until you think about what happens if some old seal blows on a three day haul in August. That long run time you got, 9 days, is its own warning sign even without the chip. Open carriers stack cars at hubs and wait to fill trailers, so your car sits in a yard somewhere getting rained on and shuffled around, and every extra day is another chance for something to go wrong. Enclosed guys usually run door to door with one load because the math only works if they keep it moving. For a drop top you are also paying for the top itself, not just the paint, since sun and grit wear the canvas and the rear window worse than most people think. Maybe look at smaller enclosed outfits based out of Phoenix or Vegas rather than the big brokers, they tend to actually own their trailers and you can talk to the same person the whole time.