MyOtherCar.is.aTesla

Has anyone here used Runbuggy to ship your vette (or any car) cross country? I just acquired my dream car (1961 C1) in a Hagerty’s auction and now must have the car shipped from CO to GA. I was working with Reliable on the shipment but the guy was becoming hard to deal with and wanted to charge a huge extra fee because we have some blackout dates in our shipping window. So I tried Runbuggy (also recommended by Hagerty’s) and within 5 minutes I had a firm quote.

Still don’t have an exact pickup date but looks like I’m going with Runbuggy. Just curious if anyone here has any experience using them, either good or bad.

dplotkin

My hunch, and its only a hunch, is that Runbuggy is a broker and does not own a truck. The first clue is the automatic willingness to comply with your requirements. The second is the stupid name. I know I may be wrong. Runbuggy could be as clean as the pope's robes. But I doubt it.

With a broker you don't really know who has your car, what kind of equipment, how many times your car will be unloaded and loaded at stops along the way. Call Intercity and see if they can help. Whatever you do, hire the shipper rather than pay a broker.

Dan

MyOtherCar.is.aTesla

Oh they absolutely are a broker, no doubt. Their business model seems to be built around their technology platform and ease of use. I’m not against brokers as long as they are reputable and enforce high standards with the subs they hire. There is a cost and availability advantage for brokers. Of course, the advantage shippers like Reliable have over brokers is that they own the equipment and employ the drivers, so there is a higher level of accountability.

Just curious if anyone has any direct experience with Runbuggy. I do appreciate your response Dan and will check out intercity.

Pop Chevy

Never heard of em. You are rolling the dice.

dplotkin

I understand your question relates specifically to Runbuggy. This response to you is intended to change your mind. A technology platform and ease of use is invaluable and highly appreciated when ordering sushi from Grub hub or UberEATS. Technology and ease of use are of little utility to a fella who has bought a valuable car at auction. Broker/shippers do little more than post your requirement to any trucker interested. You will never know whether the driver has a good truck, if he has ever hauled valuable cars, if he knows how to start a carbureted car or drive a manual transmission. if the car will be off-loaded one or more times in route and possibly warehoused until the next truck shows, or even if any driver has a CDL license. I have first hand experience with broker/shippers. Brokers have but one standard, make money. They have no way of vetting the drivers. Its all but certain to make you wish you hadn't.

There is likely not one Corvette owner on this forum that would use a broker to ship a valuable Corvette, especially to save money or enjoy wiz-bang technology platforms. If you had the scratch to buy a valuable Corvette you have enough to hire a 1st tier shipper such as Intercity, Reliable, Horseless Carriage and so forth. Doing what you are poised to do is an eminently bad idea.

Dan

MyOtherCar.is.aTesla

Well Dan, I don’t know if you’re going to be happy with me, but I did just cancel the Runbuggy order. Just couldn’t get them to give me a pickup day estimate, not even a window. Too bad b/c I did think their customer service was better than Reliable. The problem with Reliable was their price went from ~ $2k to over $8k once I gave them my blackout dates. The guy said “looks like you require our date specific / timing critical services” and quadrupled the price. I guess they think people just sit around 24/7 waiting for the car.

So now I have decided to make this an adventure. I’m flying to Denver tomorrow and driving the car back to Atlanta over the weekend. What better way to get to know this car than to roadtrip halfway across the country!

I realize some folks on this forum would never drive a classic Vette 1500 miles in a weekend. To quote Billy Joel, “you may be right, I may be crazy.” Wish me luck!

dplotkin

Everyone here will wish you luck, and, most of us will applaud your decision. I've driven 3 cars I didn't know long distance as you are about to do. Some things to consider:
1. Nobody makes a car ready for a road trip before sending it to auction. You can be sure it needs something to make the trip safely. Your job is to find out what those are and deal with them.
2. Tires and brakes. If the tires are radials and look good, read the date codes. Old cars often have old tires with unused tread. Old radials will come apart at speed on a long trip. If the tires are more than 8 years old, consider 4 new ones before you leave. Inspect the rubber brake hoses. Look in the Master Cylinder, make sure the fluid is reasonably clean and full.
3. Try to check the front wheel bearings, spin and listen for noise and check for tightness.
4. Inspect the fuel system, pipes, hoses for cracks, seepage and leaks.
5. Make sure radiator and heater hoses look good.
6. Understand what is under the distributor cap. Are the points there? Consider resetting them, and carry a spare set with a condenser on the trip. Is it a Pertronix or some other substitute? Consider bringing a spare.
7. Bring a tool box. Search this forum for what should be in it. There was a recent thread on that topic.
8. Bring a small floor jack, a piece of wood to set it on if necessary and make sure you have a lug wrench.
9. Bring two quarts of oil and a bottle of pre-mixed coolant. If the oil is dark, change it before you leave. With no idea how much oil it burns, check every couple hours until you understand.
10. Bring an attitude. This is about the most fun one can have in this hobby wearing clothes. Few things are more fun for me than a long road trip in an old car I don't know. The last time I did this it ended up published in the Cadillac-LaSalle Club magazine!

I approve!
Good idea! Good Fun! Good Luck!

Dan

DonBond

Ballsey move Mav............

6T7L71CPE

Start a new thread when you start your trip. If you have problems along the way hopefully a member here will be close enough to help out.

LouieM

Congratulations on your mind clearing, so that you could see the right thing to do. The problem finding a decent shipper was the universe telling you to drive your old car home. I drove my 67 home 2,800 miles from MI to CA twenty years ago when all my friends (but not most CF friends) warned me against it. It was an enlivening, fun, memorable journey for me and it will be for you too. You will be well bonded with your new car by the time you pull into your driveway at home. Keep in mind that if you run into any problems, posting it on this forum will likely get you a bunch of help. Some here may be willing to put you up for a night with your car safely in their garage. Have fun!

leif.anderson93

If I felt good enough about my classic car purchase, I would feel really excited to drive her cross country...what a terrific experience you're going to have. Kudos

MyOtherCar.is.aTesla

Can’t thank you all enough for the words of encouragement regarding my trip. And thanks Dan for the packing and maintenance suggestions. I had already started a list and will add to it using yours.

I will post a road trip thread to the forum as some of you suggested.

And as the young people like to say, YOLO!

smacota1

Great decision.....

Not as long a trip as you are planning, but my trip was a blast!

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-fort-ala.html

63silver

And just think, You won't have to stop at one Charging Station on the whole trip.

MyOtherCar.is.aTesla

So true! Although I suspect my Tesla actually has more range than the vette! Not that it matters, I am so looking forward to this drive.