You've found the "perfect" classic car and you've discovered it's either across the country or even in another part of the world. How do you get it home? Do you drive it or have it shipped? Who can you trust to ship it to you safely? Read on.

Even though it sounds like fun, driving a classic car for a long distance is not always wise. Being older it can has a potential for mechanical problems and because most parts suppliers don't stock parts for older cars anymore it can leave you stranded days waiting for a part if that were to happen. We have sold cars to people that have driven across country successfully but it takes a special person to be able to take on anything that can come up. Of course driving across country can also take some time and many of us can't get away in our busy schedules long enough to enjoy that kind of an adventure either.

For the rest of us, we've put together a guide to assist you with the task of finding the right kind of shipping for your car. There are several types of shipping to consider, do you want an enclosed carrier or open? The time of the year can play a role in that decision as well as the value and quality of the car your having shipped. If your shipping internationally you will need to find a freight forwarder that ships car via containers.

A very important thing to remember - is the classic car your having shipped coming from a warm area to a cold climate in the winter? If it is, make sure you ask the person your buying the car from to make sure it has the proper amount of anti-freeze in it so there are no costly surprises when it arrives at your home and it's 10 below 0. You have to realize the person in the warm climate won't always have the coolant to the level needed in the coldest areas of the world.

Types of carriers - the two basic types of auto transporters are open and enclosed, open can look like the type you've probably seen many times on the highway, the enclosed look more like a traditional semi trailer only they have a big ramp enclosing the back.

The open carriers are  perfect for transporting most classic cars, they are very safe and basically being exposed to the same kind of conditions they normally would every day on the road. Convertibles can also be shipped this way and they typically top load them to prevent and fluids from dripping on the tops and staining them.

Enclosed carriers offer protection from the elements during shipping as well as having a different way of loading that is suited to cars that are lower to the ground. If your having a high end collector car, a lowered street rod or a Ferrari shipped this is your best choice. The enclosed transport has virtually no angled ramp to drive up on so it makes it a perfect choice for anything with low clearance.

Either type you choose should be bonded and insured for more than your car is worth, it is always wise to ask about their coverage's. We all know price is important in anything we do today, sometimes the lowest price carrier isn't always the best choice. Remember that these transports get a lot of use and a 10 year old truck can have 1,000,000 or more miles on it, an older truck is likely to have breakdowns and possibly cause you frustration and problems with delivering your car in a timely manor. The companies with newer equipment will cost a little more but may be an option if you are needing the car quicker or just want peace of mind.

Other considerations - ask if the truck that picks up you car will be the one delivering it to the destination. Several carriers use a terminals in the trip across country, they load originally and may drop your car off at one or more terminals on it's voyage across country. We have had bad experiences shipping cross country with that type of transport in the past, you just don't know what can happen on those times when it's on and off the truck. Of course, if your shipping Internationally or even into Canada, your car will have to be on and off a transport at least one time before it reaches you and we've never had an issue with that process.

International shipping - probably the most important part of your process is what types of documentation will be needed to import a classic car into your country. No matter what type of vehicle your shipped out of the US will NEED a title for the car to be released by customs on this end. Of course the car will have to be brought to the port, some of the freight companies have local contacts for that leg of the journey. Ask, if they don't, you may have to arrange shipping yourself to get your car to the port. Find out what types of vehicles are allowed, and know what you need to clear customs when it arrives in your country. We know from experience that a car needs to be free of plant and insect material, or pretty darn clean in other words, if being shipped to Australia for example. Nothing worse than a car sitting at your dock that you can't take home.

When booking a container to ship overseas, ask what type of container your car will be shipped in and what type of items are allowed in the vehicle. We know that many people shipping a car outside the US are wanting to get any parts they need or just maintainance items to be sent along so you will have them with the car. We know it's a lot cheaper than having them shipped one by one later on and some countries consider them as part of the car for duties but some shippers have restrictions as to the types and locations of extra items.

Classic vehicle shipping companies- Central Valley Classics doesn't endorse any of these shipping sources over another, nor do we list them in any particular order. These are simply provided as a list of companies that do specialize in classic car, hot rod, street rod, collectible car and specialty car shipping for you to compare.

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