We are STRONGLY considering buying the Prime with me flying out to pick it up and drive it back. It will be 22 hours of total driving back however and I am having a tough time finding a "good" time to make this happen. My wife is pregnant and doesn't feel well at this part of the pregnancy so I feel bad leaving for so long. We have company a few of the next weekends as well. I am considering purchasing the car and letting it sit there until I can make it out. A thought crossed my mind about having it shipped to me however. Some preliminary research shows the cost might be very similar to flying out and picking up the car when considering all of the costs - flight, hotel for a few nights, (very little) fuel Has anyone chosen to do so? Any information you might share would be a big help!
This doesn’t directly apply to your situation, but two years ago I moved from California to Rhode Island and I shipped our 2010 Prius. I can’t remember exactly, but I think it cost around $1,180. Considering your distance is approximately 50% of that, I would imagine that shipping a new car would cost in the neighborhood of $650-$850. Is my guess in the ballpark? I’m just pulling numbers out of a hat, but $180-$200 for a one-way flight. 2 nights in a hotel at $70-$110 per night. Roughly $60 in gas. And approximately 1,200 miles added to your new car. So essentially, you’re only paying a couple hundred dollars to save 3 days of time. Seems like shipping a car could possibly be a great way to get it done!
I've had cars shipped before (classic cars) and it wasn't a ton of money. Considering you can save at least 5k by purchasing in New England, get it shipped. Langway Toyota in Newport, RI, was great to deal with and had the best price, but make sure you get everything done with Damian or Mike the general manager, I wouldn't buy from them if I had to use their sales people based on my experience.
Thank you guys for the reply! I'm having a tough time figuring out how to get away to pick it up, but would love to have myself a little road trip home. A one way flight from here close to last second to where I'm going is around $500
I suspect that every car dealer in Lincoln, Nebraska has experience in having cars shipped to them from the East Coast. Why not talk to a few of them to get their thoughts on how they might be able to add a single car to a load that would be coming in, or if they can recommend a reliable and fairly priced transporter.
Yes, bought a prime in LA and having it shipped right now. It is a little work, since had to do things online and via overnight mail with the dealer, then arrange with a shipping broker. Altogether will take about 2 weeks...about $500 to ship. This is the best way to get California cars, because if you pick it up and drive it off the lot, they have to charge you CA taxes, but no taxes if shipped--you just pay the state tax where you live and any other local taxes, registration etc.
