Cost of shipping car, etc.

Hello Kyle,

Welcome to the board. Shipping a car is a popular topic. Here is a recent thread where a breakdown of costs was done https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,37511,37511#msg-37511. There are others, if you scroll to the top of this page and click on Search in the Forum tools and then search for keywords 'shipping car' and expand the date range to all dates you will find several others.

😉

--Islander

Hello,

I also have been doing some research on shipping a car. I received a quote from Lee at Managed freight, who has been very helpful answering my shipping questions. Total cost with all taxes, tags, shipping, foreign car fees, customs, and road taxes, in my situation is approx. $3,000.00.

Here is lee's email, I am sure he can give you a quote for you specific situation.

info@managedfreight.com

I have a Ford Ranger 4x4 that is already kinda dinged up so it seems to be a good island car. Isnt it best to have something with 4x4 that is older without the worry of it getting dinged b/c of the islands and the rust factor? Since i have this vehicle already would it be cheaper to ship it or buy something comparable in STX?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you much,
Kyle Fitz

From an economic stand point it is probably a wash.

It will cost you more than $2,000 to bring your truck to STX.

A comparable truck on STX will cost you several thousand more.

With your own truck you have some idea on how well it has been maintained. With a used car, who knows, particularly if you buy an inexpensive island car from a private owner.

Do not bring your truck if you are not confident if its mechanical condition. The islands are tough on cars and getting them fixed here takes longer particularly if parts have to be ordered. Also if it is a dark color and/or doesn't have a good AC think about it.

It is not that big a problem to bring a car to the the VI if you hire someone to handle the details on this end.

I used Lee Fleming at Fleming Transport and had no problems. Just follow his instructions and Tropical Shippings instructions exactly. Thirty days after I dropped it in Miami it showed up at my door with VI plates and a tank of gas.

Jim

Jim,

That sounds great but i have one more question for you.

I live in Missouri and how would i go about shipping the truck out when the time comes. Do i have to personally get it to a port in miami or what?

Kyle Fitz

Following is the quote we received from Tropical Shipping to ship our truck to STT. Tropical Shipping was less expensive than Crowley but not by much. You can pay a car carrier to take your vehicle to the port. We looked into this option but there was not one car carrier that wanted to work with Tropical Shipping because the operations @ Tropical are like you are already in the USVI. ...according to the feedback we got, Tropical makes them wait without seemingly any reason - and to a car carrier, time is money. My husband drove the truck to W. Palm Beach and for $50 one way - flew back to Tampa.

Pricing information contained herein is an estimate of charges based on information provided by the recipient.
The estimate of charges is based on current tariff information which is subject to change without notice. All
charges should be re-verified prior to shipment.
estimate of charges
Quote Date: 17-Oct-2005
469019
MOTOR VEHICLE, VIZ: Buses, Cars, Trucks, Vans, Vehicles, Lift Trucks,
Port of Palm Beach Seaport, FL
Crown Bay Seaport (St Thomas), United States Virgi
Rate Basis: EA Service: OO Load: FCL - C/L Description: Vehicles
EA,$1158.000/Vehicles,OO,C/L,NHZ [Eff:10/16/05]
Charge Base Amount Quantity Amount
Rate #:
Commodity:
Place of Receipt:
Final Destination: Port of St. Thomas
Rate Summary:
Rate Description:
Ocean Charge 1,158.00 1,158.00 1
US Port Security- Rolling Stock/Vehicles>700cft 100.00 100.00 1
Preparation of SED 30.00 /LS 30.00 1
Customs Clearance - Out of Gauge 100.00 100.00 1
Bunker Surcharge- FT 10.00 /F-T 200.00 20
Bill of Lading fee S/B 50.00 /LS 50.00 1
Insurance 304.88 304.88 1
Total Amount : $1,942.88
* Rates valid for vehicles 701-999 cft.
l Insurance is calculated on ($15,300 , Freight plus 20% ) at the rate $1.50 per $100 of value {Min:$20}
l The ITN number from the electronically filed Shippers Export Declaration (SED) or the proper exemption statement must be
presented on your Proforma Bill of Lading or letter of instruction by the established documentation cut-off. Additional
charges will apply if Tropical Shipping is required to act as your SED filing agent.
l Insurance is automatically applied at an additional cost, unless letter of instruction or proforma states otherwise.
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Kyle:

You can go on line and Google for auto carriers. You will be suprised how many hits you will find and how competitve the pricing seems to be.

It was going to cost me $800 from Chicago to Miami. I never got as far as seeing if they would actually work with Tropical at the drop point. I instead had one of my sons drive the car to Florida. I then bought him a cheap ticket to NYC and he was happy.

Jim

I shipped 2 vehicles to from Virginia to STX in May. I used an auto transport company to take the vehicles to Florida. While the vast majority of the companies I called were priced about the same (~ $800 per vehicle), I did find a local company that would do it for $300 a vehicle. Their explanation for the comparably low price was that they normally send their auto transport trucks down to Florida empty to pick up new cars to bring back to Virgina car dealerships, so getting my vehicles down there would not be a special trip. The only problem was that they would only drop the vehicles off at night. I intended to use Crowley (who I did use for a 20' container) but they only accept cars during the day and require vehicles to be on their lot several days before the shipping date, which made it difficult to coordinate. I ended up using Sea Star Lines to ship my vehicles, which is who the auto transport company normally dealt with. It turned out that they are located right next to Crowley, accept cars 24 hours a day, and only require the car to arrive a couple of hours before the ship leaves. The price was about the same as Crowley (~$1050 per vehicle). I called them the morning that they were scheduled to ship to verify that everything was in order and was told they had not received the vehicles yet. After I verified that the auto transport company said they had dropped them off, they sent somebody to check the lot and found my vehicles, which had been dropped off but not checked in. They shipped out later that day (Friday) and arrived in STX 4 or 5 days later. I picked up both cars myself and found the process of getting them inspected and licensed much easier and quicker than I anticipated. I had no damage to either vehicle, although they had placed a large section of another cars fender trim in my backseat, so evidently not all cars are so lucky. Everyone I talked with during the entire process was very helpful.

Actually, they told us that United States Customs requires the vehicle to be checked in 72 hours in advance of sail.

je,
I live in Virginia Beach and I am moving to STX shortly. Would you mind telling me the name of the company which carried your cars to Florida.

One Love Ironman

I used Oliver's Auto Transport (757-539-3785). They are located in Suffolk on Rt. 460. You will have to drop your cars off at their office.

Thanks JE

One love

Did this company register your car for you? You mentioned tags, just wondering if you mean registration tags

Hello Lindsey13,

Ante appears to have used Managed Freight... you might send them an email and ask if they do car registration as part of their services. Here is their website http://www.managedfreight.com/.

--Islander

I've used this company before: https://www.a1autotransport.com/ship-car-to-the-virgin-islands.php and they're worth a call, even if you just want to know a rough cost. Part of their service is telling you the cost upfront and you don't have to commit to anything, which is helpful if you're still in the research phase. Prices can be very far apart from different offers.

I had not noticed the date on the original post ... disregard.