Should I drive my car or have it shipped?” This is one of the classic questions that we know many of our customers struggle with when debating using our services. For many people the answer to this question is largely based upon the answer to another famous question in our industry: “How much will it cost to ship my car?” many people jump to the conclusion that you can save some hard earned cash by simply deciding to make a road trip out of it, but is this really true? I would challenge that in order to really understand what it will cost you to drive your car yourself, you should be asking a different question: “What is my time worth?”
Simply put, most people today are busy, really busy. Finding the time to take 4-5 days off from work or breaking from your weekly routine to drive your car cross country is near impossible. Another question to ask yourself is “What will this epic road trip cost me?” and by that I mean really cost me?:
“What will this epic road trip cost me?”
- Car Prep: Taking a long road tip, better make sure that your car is prepared. Always a good idea to get an oil change and make sure to check on your battery, fluid levels, belts/hoses, tires and breaks while you are at it.
- Fuel: This is the obvious one of course. With prices constantly on the move (and seeming to always be going up) average fuel costs can range upwards of $4.00 per gallon
- Food: Gotta eat! Simply put, what ‘s the fun of a road trip without some quality snacks? Plus, you’ll be most likely be stopping 2-3 times a day for a meal. Figure that this will cost around $30 a day per person.
- Hotel: Gotta sleep! Let’s face it, the thought of spending the night in your car is really not gonna happen. A hotel will run you between $70 – 150 per night.
- Missed Work: No matter what your income level is, no one likes to be without pay for a few days or have to use vacation days if available to you.
- Plane Ticket: This is not applicable in all cases, but if you are moving your car on a one-way trip and need to find your way back you are most likely going to end up booking a flight home. Let’s estimate this as $350 for a one-way ticket.
As you can see, these costs can add up in a hurry. In addition, we have not mentioned or factored in the wear and tear on you car along with the extra miles potentially on a leased vehicle. Of course there is one other factor that might not have a direct dollar value attributed to it but just as important a factor …
- Stress: Dealing with the uncontrollable such as a mechanical breakdown, flat tire, getting a ticket, dealing with bad weather or being involved in an accident. By shipping your car with a reputable carrier, you can afford yourself peace of mind and a stress free experience.
After looking at all of the factors, costs and considerations listed above, you might realize that your time is worth much more then the cost of shipping your car.
