When you are moving to a new home or apartment in San Francisco, you will need to plan your entire move, organize all your things, pack your things, move your things (or supervise a moving company doing so for you), and then unpack everything. Imagine adding driving hundreds or thousands of miles to that list – it would make an already stressful and complicated time even worse. That is why shipping your car to your new San Francisco home will help you focus on the rest of your move to the Bay Area.
The cost of shipping a car to San Francisco
The first question most people ask when you suggest shipping their car during a move usually is, “How much does it cost to ship a car?” Well, unfortunately, that answer depends on several things. The primary factors that will impact the price of shipping a car to San Francisco are the total distance of the shipment, the shipping options you select, the time of year during which you are shipping your car, and gas prices at the time of the shipment.
The greater the distance of your car shipment is, the more expensive it will be. For example, shipping a car from New York to San Francisco will always be more expensive than shipping a car from Seattle to San Francisco. When booking your car shipment, if you choose upgraded shipping options like enclosed vehicle shipping, expect your shipment to cost more than if you hadn’t selected those options. It is the same as airline tickets; you will pay more if you upgrade to first class. If you ship a car at a busier time during the year, expect prices to be higher due to basic supply and demand. Finally, and most simply, if gas prices are higher, car shipping prices will be higher as well.
Here are a few estimated car shipping prices to San Francisco in 2023 (these are subject to change at any time):
- New York to San Francisco -$2,250
- Dallas to San Francisco – $1,600
- Seattle to San Francisco – $950
How long will it take to ship a car to San Francisco?
You might also want to know how long you will be without your vehicle as it ships to San Fran. That is another number that will vary based on a few factors. The distance of the shipment, how busy the auto transport company is at the time of your shipment, weather, and traffic all affect the overall length of any car shipment.
The further you ship a car, the longer it will take. The demand for car shipping at the time of your shipment can also dictate a slightly longer shipping time due to more pickups and deliveries possibly being on your shipping route. Inclement weather and/or a higher traffic volume can also add some time to your car shipment.
Here are a few estimated car shipping transit times to San Francisco in 2023 (these are subject to change at any time):
- New York to San Francisco – Between 8-14 days
- Dallas to San Francisco – Between 4-8 days
- Seattle to San Francisco – Between 3-6 days
How else can I get my car to San Francisco?
If you think shipping your car to San Francisco might be too expensive or will take too long, you have a few other options for getting your vehicle to your new home. You can drive the car there, which will save money and will mean you never need to part with your car. Although, you must sacrifice hours, if not days, driving your car yourself.
You can also hire a driver service to take your car to San Francisco. A driver service is where a person will show up and drive your car to its destination for a fee. This will not be much cheaper than shipping it and will definitely be more expensive than driving it yourself. However, it will be faster than car shipping, and you will not need to spend any time on the road yourself.
How to prepare to ship a car
Shipping any kind of car to San Francisco will be easy. The only things that you will need to do will be to choose a shipping company, schedule your shipment over the phone, prepare for the shipment and be available during pickup and delivery to give/receive the car keys. Preparing for a car shipment is the only moderately involved part of the process for you. It will entail you getting the outside of your car cleaned, removing personal items, and making sure the car is functioning correctly.
The outside of your vehicle has to be clean before it gets picked up for shipping because your auto transport driver will have to carefully look over the outside of the car and note any damage that was on the car before shipping starts. This is required by the insurance company that covers the car shipping company. You need to take all your personal stuff out of the car because it will not be covered at all by the car shipping insurance if it is damaged or lost while your car ships. This includes phone chargers, earrings, CDs, sunglasses, and more. Finally, you will have to ensure that the car you are shipping is in normal working order before it gets picked up so that it can be easily driven onto and off the car carrier.
We hope you found this blog post on How You Can Ship Your Car During a Move to San Francisco useful. Be sure to check out our post on Tips on Moving to San Francisco, CA: Relocation Guide 2023 for more great tips!
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