How to Ship a Toyota Camry
The Camry is close to the easiest car in America to ship, and that is worth knowing because it means you should be paying at the low end of the market rather than a premium. It is a mid size sedan of entirely ordinary dimensions and weight, there are millions of them, and every carrier has loaded one. Nothing about it needs special equipment. What follows is how to make sure the quote reflects that.
Why It Prices Well
A carrier sells two things: deck space and payload. The Camry uses a modest amount of both.
At roughly 3,300 to 3,600 pounds depending on the generation and whether it is a hybrid, and around 16 feet long, it fits anywhere on a standard open trailer without displacing anything. Compare that with a full size pickup or a three row SUV, which occupies more length, weighs a great deal more, and frequently has to go on a specific position on the deck.
The practical result is that a Camry usually sits at the bottom of the price range for its lane. If you are being quoted a premium, ask what is driving it, because the vehicle itself is not.
What Actually Changes Your Quote
Since the car is not the variable, everything else is.
The lane. How busy the route is matters more than the mileage. A major corridor between metropolitan areas prices well; two small towns off the interstate system do not.
Open or enclosed. Enclosed runs about 20 to 30 percent more. For an ordinary Camry it is not necessary. For a low mileage collector example or one with fresh paintwork it is a reasonable choice, but that is a small minority of them.
Access at both ends. A loaded hauler is around 75 feet long and 13 feet 6 inches tall. A narrow street with low branches means a meeting point, and agreeing one when you book prevents a wasted trip.
Timing. A range of pickup days is worth real money. Summer is the busiest season and prices firm up accordingly.
Whether it runs. An inoperable car needs a winch and a carrier equipped for it, which narrows the pool. Say so up front; a car discovered not to start at pickup is the most expensive kind of surprise.
The One Camry-Specific Thing
Hybrids deserve a brief note, because a large share of recent Camrys are hybrids and people worry about it unnecessarily.
A hybrid ships exactly like any other car. It is not running on the trailer, so the battery is not doing anything. The only real differences are that it weighs somewhat more than the equivalent gasoline car, which is immaterial at this size, and that a high voltage system should be left alone rather than disconnected by anyone who is not qualified.
Leave the vehicle in its normal state, hand over the key, and let the driver load it. There is no special procedure.
Preparing It
Wash it so existing marks are visible, then photograph every panel in daylight, including the wheels, the lower bumpers and the rocker panels, which are what loading marks. Get a shot of the odometer too.
Leave about a quarter tank of fuel. More is unnecessary weight; less risks the car not making it off the trailer and to a station.
Empty the cabin and the trunk completely. Personal items are not covered by cargo insurance, they add weight, and they move around in transit. Remove or retract the antenna if it is the mast type, fold the mirrors, disable a motion sensitive alarm, and take out any toll transponder so you are not billed for the truck’s route.
Check the tire pressures and note any fluid leaks. A car that leaks onto the vehicle below it on the trailer becomes a problem for somebody else, and carriers will decline it if it is bad enough.
At Pickup and Delivery
The driver inspects the car and records its condition on the bill of lading. Walk around it with them rather than handing over the keys and going inside. If you disagree with something on the report, say so before it is signed.
At delivery, inspect before signing, in daylight if at all possible, and compare against your photographs. Look specifically at the lower bodywork, the wheels and the areas around the tie-down points.
Note anything unexpected on the bill of lading while the driver is still present. If the car arrives after dark or in heavy rain, write on the paperwork that a full inspection was not possible before you sign it. That single sentence preserves your position.
If the car is going to a buyer rather than to you, agree in advance who is inspecting it at the far end and make sure they understand that signing accepts the condition as recorded.
Transit Times
Once collected, plan on one to two days regionally, three to five across half the country, and five to seven coast to coast, plus a few days for a carrier to be assigned beforehand.
Treat a delivery date as a range rather than an appointment. Drivers work under federal hours of service limits and a hauler making several stops does not travel in a straight line. Our guide to shipping a car across the country covers the longer lanes in detail.
Common Questions
Is a Camry cheap to ship? Relatively, yes. It is an ordinary mid size sedan, so it sits at the low end of the range for whatever lane you are on.
Does a hybrid need anything special? No. It is not running on the trailer. Leave the high voltage system alone and hand over the key.
Open or enclosed? Open for an ordinary car. Enclosed only for a collector example or fresh paintwork.
How much fuel should I leave? About a quarter tank.
What if it does not run? Say so when you book. It needs a winch and a carrier equipped for it, and discovering it at pickup is expensive.
Get a Quote
Call Ship A Car, Inc. at (866) 821-4555 with both zip codes and your date range, or price the move with the instant calculator.
