Choosing between road tripping and auto shipping can be a tough choice. There are some benefits to driving one’s self across the country, and there are yet other benefits to letting an auto transport company do the job for you. If you’re in the precarious situation of having to make a choice between the two, take a moment to consider both options carefully.

American Auto Transport understands the dilemma that our customers face when having to choose between the two. This is why we have created a list of pros and cons for both options. Take a moment to review our compilation of the benefits of both.

Driving Yourself

Driving yourself across the country has a number of risks and benefits. While in some cases it may be beneficial for you to drive yourself, in others it is more beneficial to have your vehicle shipped. To determine which is better for your particular situation, take a moment to consider a concrete example of the expenses of driving.

Take for example driving from Miami, Florida to Los Angeles, California. The distance between these two cities is approximately 2,750 miles. The average fuel economy of a vehicle was 22.5 MPG in 2007, but let’s assume that it’s risen to 23 MPG since then. The price of gas is of course quite volatile and varies from region to region, but let’s assume that the cost will be the average of the East Coast and West Coast yearly average gas prices: $2.80 per gallon.

Now do the math here: the 2750 mile trip / 23 MPG on average = 119.60 gallons to complete the trip. 119.60 gallons x $2.80 per gallon = $334.88, or ~ $335 in gas.

Next, consider how long it will take you to drive yourself. It should take you roughly 43 hours of driving to complete this trip. If you drive 10 hours a day, it will take you about 4 days to complete your trip. Hotel rates are roughly $75 per night, so you’ll be paying around $300 in addition to the cost of gas for lodging.

You’ll surely be hungry after driving for 10 hours, so you’ll want some food as well. It should cost around $30 a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. $30 a day x 4 days = $160 dollars in food daily.

Once you’ve arrived, you’ll realize that you’ve just spent 4 days driving! That’s a lot of time off of work and a lot of money that you could’ve been making but didn’t. These are your opportunity costs. Suppose you make $15 an hour. If you work a 40-hour week, then you’ve missed 32 hours of work by driving. 32 hours of work x $15 per hour = $480 that you’ve just lost out on.

Now you’re frantically trying to get back to work in Miami, but it’ll take another 4 days to drive back, so you get a plane ticket. It costs another $200 for a one-way trip back to Miami.

So, $335 + $300 + $160 + $480 + $200 = $1,475! That means that by driving your vehicle yourself, you’ve already spend about $1,500! This price is even a little conservative because it doesn’t account for incidentals, like vehicle mileage, repairs, etc.

Auto Shipping

Auto shipping is a lot less complicated to compute. We operate off of flat rates, so you’ll only pay one price for the entirety of your trip. While it’s impossible to say precisely how much it will cost to move your particular vehicle, because the price will vary depending on what kind of vehicle you have and when you need to ship it, American Auto Transport is almost certain to do it for hundreds of dollars less! Call us at (954) 745-8950 to for your free car shipping quote today!

Comparing the Two

Auto shipping and driving yourself offer different benefits. In the above example, it’s plain to see that the costs of driving across country greatly outweigh the benefits. This is because the distance between the two is relatively large. By helping you transport your vehicle over long distances, American Auto Transport will almost ALWAYS save you a good deal of cash. However, this benefit is generally decreased as the distance between the pickup and drop-off locations decrease, so be careful to analyze both options before committing to either.

Generally speaking you should ship your vehicle when:

• You cannot or do not want to drive the vehicle yourself
• There is a great distance between the pickup and drop off locations
• You are somewhat flexible with your time windows

And it might be a good idea to drive if:

• There is less than 300 miles between the pickup and drop off locations
• You’re in a remote location and you’re inflexible with your timeframe

American Auto Transport hopes that you make the best choice possible for all of your needs. Whether you use American Auto Transport’s premium car shipping or drive yourself, what’s important is that you’ve done so with your best interests in mind. This is why we do what we do; because we want to do what’s right. If you do choose to ship, however, make sure that you use the best auto transporter around. Use American Auto Transport. Call us at (954) 745-8950 make your reservations with the best today!