[djserene]

hi all looking to move my slk from MO to FL....

I have been searching the internet and coming up with billions of estimates. Some open-air and some enclosed.

? though since this sort of concerned/made me curious

One company said they will not provide open-air service because of the SLK's undercarriage and the potential that their company's securing chains could damage. It sounds odd and at the same time as if they want 'enclosed' $$$s. Yet this was from a company which was recommened by several full-service movers, website, etc...I imagine MB ships their cars on open-air tranports


Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance

 

[DEATHERAGE]

Ive never seen a Mercedes Sports car roardster on an open transport just there normal versions of cars.

My friends Viper got screwed up by the chains on the open transport but the transport place paid to have it fixed. If they are telling you it might get broken that could be there way out of paying for it when they break your car. Is it going to be more money to fix it or to ship the car.

There is something to be said about piece of mind.

--Deathy

 

[BlueBenz]

drive it !??

 

[DEATHERAGE]

If he wanted to drive it he wouldnt of posted about transportation help.

However you can pay people to drive your cars if you dont want to.

I personally dont trust anyone in my car unless im trashed and cannot drive.

--Deathy

 

[djserene]

thanks for thoughts

at 1st I was trying not to drive it for multiple reasons (in additional to my own paranoia '98 with only 20,000 miles and I love this damn thing ;-) )

1. my apartment was going to be moved by full-service company so i didnt plan on doing anything - though that is up in the air now

2. winter weather in general has not been kind with my Potenza S03 tires, also i figured the mileage impact too


But now I am also considering a flat bed behind a Uhaul rental truck, just as another option.

anyway thanks again

 

[2001SilverSLK320]

Try the horesless carriage

djserene - 2/11/2005 11:52 AM

hi all looking to move my slk from MO to FL....

I have been searching the internet and coming up with billions of estimates. Some open-air and some enclosed.

? though since this sort of concerned/made me curious

One company said they will not provide open-air service because of the SLK's undercarriage and the potential that their company's securing chains could damage. It sounds odd and at the same time as if they want 'enclosed' $$$s. Yet this was from a company which was recommened by several full-service movers, website, etc...I imagine MB ships their cars on open-air tranports


Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance

I had my car shipped all the way from Colorado to the east coast. I went with a closed container shipper. Trust me, if you value your Mercedes you will do that. The advantage of a closed container truck, is that you won't have any "highway damage." Such as vehicles throwing rocks on your car. Plus, these trucks stop all over, and the potential for vandalism on an open container vehicle is high, trust me. It is a little expensive to ship with a closed container vehicle, but it is totally worth it in my opinion. When I got my car, it was in a truck with a Bently, Ferrari Modena spider, a Lamborghini, and some other vehicles like that.

Try this link
http://www.horselesscarriage.com/default.htm

 

[DEATHERAGE]

that looks like a cool company. They have pics of the cars they shipped. THE FLINSTONES ride and the BATMAN ride was among the bunch. AWESOME i wanna drive the batman car!

 

[fredrice]

Get quotes from Reliable, Horseless Carriage, Intercity.... more are listed in any copy of Hemmings Motor News. Mine came to me from my bros. business in NY and was transported in an enclosed. No damage, no problems.[] You will breathe easier if you use a quality company as the expense is well worth it! Good Luck[8D]

 

[adrose]

You need to talk to Ken in Boca Raton,FL as he did this from the NE about a year or so ago,it was shipped in a huge truck to my development here,truck was too big to get into my cul de sac! He can probably tell you all about the fees etc
Adrian

 

[Ken]

Yes Adrian did me the kind favor of accepting and storing my SLK for a few days since the shipper beat me to FL. Thanks again Adrian!

I researched shippers and found (FedEx owned) Passport Transport (the inventor of enclosed tranporters) to be the best all around service to use.
http://passport.fedex.com/

My car arrived in the exact condition it went onto the
elaborate, air-ride transporter.

At the time U-Haul claimed their trailer would also cause undercarriage damage when loading and unloading an SLK.

If you really are concerned as you should be with such low miles on it – enclosed is the only way to go!
BTW – Only have 9K on mine to date and needless to say I love it too!




E-mail me if you would like any more information[]

 

[djserene]

guys thanks alot

yeah i read the U-haul manual again and it didnt look pretty.

Fun enough I have been researching Passport as they are based out of St. Louis....

It does seem a bit expensive at $1100+ but they are giving me a smaller window for pickup and delivery - then others like DAS (they offer a 21 day delivery HA). InnerCity looked great, but dont run my route...

Ken,
In a sideconversation I would be interested to see which MB Dealer/Service agent you use. I am moving back to the area and didnt have my SLK before...

 

[LeCorbusier]

I had my SLK320 transported from Boston to San Francisco for around $900 or so last year. It was totally open air and other than the usual squashed bugs on the front bumper (I think it got front seat for the 3000 miles), nothing was wrong with it externally.

The shipping company did detach the antenna out of courtesy without telling me. They also ruined my electric seat by pushing the control beyond its threshold (I suspect the interim driver who drove the car up and down must be both tall and heavy), other than that, nothing was wrong with it. There was also a case of snafu when my car when missing somewhere in their Los Angeles sub-station for receiving east coast cars.

Personally, I have done my research and there is nothing wrong with transporting it open air (a savings of hundreds for coast to coast). Most MBs I have seen getting to the dealership are all on open transporters. Don't let the chain thing get you, it is all baloney to get you to spend. I believe that my problems are company specific and if you are fortunate enough, you might not see the problems I encountered.

I would just get those stickers that would adhere to the headlamps (stoneguard?) to protect from rocks in case it takes the front seat. IMO, I would drive the car if I can do it. I took the cross country trip in the 320 from LA to Boston and it was one of the best road trips in life (three different weather, summer in LA, snow in Colorado, Rain in Kansas and many good miles), the SLK is a tight car!