Trailering from Santa Barbara to Seattle, don't have truck..

[beast02er]

I have found a car In Santa Barbara California that I would need to trailer up to the Seattle area. I don't have a truck or trailer to do it, and I am hoping to find other means than a shipping company.

First question is (its a long shot) anyone out there with that ability that would be heading up here that I could pay to bring the car?

Second question, anywhere you can rent a truck with a tow hitch so I could tow it up myself? Uhaul's trucks are only for in town use. Can you get a truck/SUV at a rental with a hitch?

I'm just hoping to tow it up for less than the $700-$1000 I will be charged by a shipping company.

Thanks,

Bryan

[UptownRoamer]

You might want to try uShip.com or even craigslist. I was able to ship mine for about $150..

[beast02er]

How far were you shipping?

I have tried Uship before (not actually booking something) to get an estimate on what shipping would cost, and an average for Cali to Washington is $800, which seems high.

Did you find yours on craigslist? How would you go about that, and make sure they were legit?

[UptownRoamer]

I dont know the mileage but I know the price was considerably less than the shippers estimate. I posted on uship and found that the quotes were about 50% less. I ended up responding to an ad on craigslist and the guy seemed legit so I took a leap of faith. Im sure the way everybodys broke these days someone could use the money and offer their services. GL

[norm]

I rented a big Ford truck from a dealer once and it wasn't that expensive. Give Ford a try.

Norm

[BillyRay]

Yes, give the dealers a try. Many of them rent their used cars, especially in this economy.

Best Regards, "Z"

[norm]

Or these guys. You might be able to get a flat bed truck.

http://www.delstruckrentals.com/site/391113/page/68309

Norm

[beast02er]

Sounds like a dealer would be worth a try, though i'm sure I couldn't use it as a 1 way use though. The best option would be to Fly to Santa Barbara and pick up, drive to seattle.

Thanks for the tips!

[Bobby_Digital]

I rented a Dodge Ram from Enterprise for a couple months after my truck was stolen. It had a hitch and hookups and I used it to tow my boat but I don't think they like the idea of using their rentals for towing. That's probably what I'd do if I found a car in Seattle that I wanted to tow down here, especially since gas prices have backed off.

Oh, it was Enterprise North Hollywood which is near the Burbank airport if you're looking to fly in here.

[BarryA]

Uhaul's trucks are only for in town use.....

always rented out their box vans with either tow dollies or car trailers on a "rent-here-leave-there" basis for cross-country moves - it'd be surprising if they've changed that policy. On the other hand, the combined cost of renting a truck & trailer with the one-way surcharge , fuel costs & airfare from Washington to SB is likely to run as much or more than the cost to have a transport company pick the car up in SB & deliver it to you.

If you do decide to have it transported, be real cautious about who you use, make sure you know exactly what their insurance covers (and what it doesn't), and make sure that there's a complete inventory of both what's installed on the car and being shipped with it that you and the seller agree on, and that the seller and the the transport company driver sign off on it when the car's picked up and that you verify that it's ALL still there when the car's delivered.

[Mike Self]

abilities, fly down with some tools and spare parts (put those in your checked luggage!) and drive it back. Lotsa FAQers on your route back to Seattle, and it would make a cool road trip...

Ask me to tell you about my road trip from Rome NY to Dayton OH in a 1948 Fiat Topolino (all 16 hp) that hadn't run for 13 years when I bought it.

And yes, it made it, but just barely.

mike

[beast02er]

The pick-up trucks at U-haul are for in town use, like picking up a load of dirt etc, the moving van/trucks can be moved wherever, but get VERY expensive.

The one car doesn't run, so no chance of driving =( though it would be fun and make things easier! There is another that does run, so I suppose that gets factored in to the cost of things ($1500 project car becomes $2200 after transport.....which means I could spend $2500 on a runner in better condition)

I have to admit though, I'm going after a Mk.1 Cortina, not an 02. I wouldn't be going so far if it were an 02 (because they are a LOT easier to find)

[InkaSteve]

Alaska Air used to have some reasonable rates to SB from Seattle. If flying to LAX is a lot cheaper, Santa Barbara Airbus has a route from LAX to SB That runs quite regularly (Every 1 1/2 hrs, approx 2 hr drive, $40-$50). I could pick you up at SB airport or Airbus station. Let me know your schedule. BTW...What car did you buy? I know a few of them around town.

[beast02er]

Oh, I haven't actually bought a car yet. I found a guy with 2 GT's, so I am trying to start covering bases before I start getting too far in to talks with him. There is also a GT in San Fran that is a possibility too, so now I have some options which is good!

Thanks for the help with getting there! I have a friend in SB, so i'd hopefully be able to use him, though if not i'll give you a shout! That's the one thing I love about the 02 community is so many NICE people!!!

-Bryan

red73