Ship or drive?

Mavrick81 · 03-23-2023, 01:45 PM

My ZL1 should be arriving within the next week at a dealership in St Louis which is roughly 2,100 miles from me in WA state. I have been going back and forth between driving and shipping it out. Shipping will be about $2,600, and I am estimating driving to be around $1,500.

My main concerns with driving would be weather, damage, and the logistics of scheduling the maintenance at 500 and 1,500 miles. Plus I would have to use some vacation time. Of course the benefits would be seeing the car in person before I purchase, getting the break-in out of the way, and saving some money.

Now hopefully by mid-April the chances of running into snow storms while crossing the mountains is minimal, but I cant do anything to avoid rain so I will just have to accept that.

For damage, I have thought about a combination of track wrap and and a novistretch bra along with rock guards. I am hoping that will help minimize the rock chips on the front bumper and along the sides.

For the first oil change, I was thinking of stopping in Lincoln Nebraska, although I'd only be at 400 miles. for the second oil change and rear diff fluid change, I could stop in Boise which would be right around 1,500 miles. Would there be any issues waiting until I got home at 2,100 miles for second change? I do plan on tracking the car occasionally, so I would like to follow the maintenance schedule for warranty protection, but skipping that last stop would definitely help with logistics.

With all that said, I am curious to hear what others would do in this situation.

Thanks!
Eric

Alexk · 03-23-2023, 01:55 PM

Ship it

ariZona28 · 03-23-2023, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexk

Ship it

+1.

JSH · 03-23-2023, 01:58 PM

Ship

LeonardS · 03-23-2023, 02:03 PM

With record or near record snowfall in most northern states, I wouldn’t risk driving it. We are setting daily records for cold temperatures, snow on the ground and continuing snowfall.

Nothing like an SS · 03-23-2023, 02:18 PM

That distance, ship it. I am usually the drive it guy, but not that far! Good luck with your new ride!!!!

bootss · 03-23-2023, 02:25 PM

Ship it. Imagine it getting stolen out of a hotel parking lot because you got tired and pulled off to sleep

HemiDave · 03-23-2023, 02:26 PM

Yes.

jamala00 · 03-23-2023, 02:35 PM

Agreed with others. Ship it... The only thing is logistics in todays world suck. Shipping it could add another 6 weeks or longer to your delivery. Trying to find a reputable shipper is also not easy. Make sure whomever you hire is not just another broker.

Summer only tires in April cross country over mountains...You'd have to be 1/2 crazy.

Realist · 03-23-2023, 02:45 PM

I luv road trips and to get an opportunity in a ZL1, I would be all over that. If it has PDR I would record the whole trip, documented breakin miles too. Bring a buddy and make the trip even more enjoyable. Oh and early congrats!! Even low evening temps wouldn’t concern me much longer.

BluePhoenix · 03-23-2023, 02:56 PM

At those costs I’d ship it.

MisterMarauder · 03-23-2023, 03:01 PM

I purchased my ZL1 from NJ and I live in NC, so I also debated on drive vs ship.

•I have trust issues with car transports. It's my car, so I'm more concerned about incidental damage than them.
•I considered renting a truck and trailering it myself. Decided against that.
•I considered driving it home and eventually settled on that.
•I looked into what it would take to protect it on the drive as I was having it PPFed when I got back and did not want damage pre-protection.

I ended up buying 3 rolls of 3M automotive masking tape off Amazon, tossed in my carry-on and covered the entire front, doubling up on layers. Drove home, removed tape(no residue) inspected it and did not find any chips.
Detailer had no issues with paint correction and PPF.
Ultimately, it was a win/win. The drive home covered the break-in period and I got to see the countryside in my new ZL1.

That said, the distance of my drive is considerably less than yours and I don't think I'd drive that in a new car. I'd either trailer it myself or pay to ship.
Though, I don't think I would've purchased one so far away.

JTS · 03-23-2023, 03:10 PM

Ship it, do a face time , Zoom pre delivery , you could fly out for pre delivery and load onto transport (hope you got a quote for covered inside trailer transport) . Again ship it , then you got a clean undercarriage and no rock chips and perfect when you have Xpel ppf installed , no rock chip windshield , that would have to be replaced. JMO , good luck with your dicision.

arpad_m · 03-23-2023, 03:19 PM

That distance is huge, the long drive risky with a brand new car, and logistics potentially problematic, as you already pointed out. Ship it.

03-23-2023, 01:45 PM	#1
Mavrick81 Drives: 2017 Prius, 2018 Armada Join Date: Jul 2022 Location: Washington Posts: 27	Ship or drive? My ZL1 should be arriving within the next week at a dealership in St Louis which is roughly 2,100 miles from me in WA state. I have been going back and forth between driving and shipping it out. Shipping will be about $2,600, and I am estimating driving to be around $1,500. My main concerns with driving would be weather, damage, and the logistics of scheduling the maintenance at 500 and 1,500 miles. Plus I would have to use some vacation time. Of course the benefits would be seeing the car in person before I purchase, getting the break-in out of the way, and saving some money. Now hopefully by mid-April the chances of running into snow storms while crossing the mountains is minimal, but I cant do anything to avoid rain so I will just have to accept that. For damage, I have thought about a combination of track wrap and and a novistretch bra along with rock guards. I am hoping that will help minimize the rock chips on the front bumper and along the sides. For the first oil change, I was thinking of stopping in Lincoln Nebraska, although I'd only be at 400 miles. for the second oil change and rear diff fluid change, I could stop in Boise which would be right around 1,500 miles. Would there be any issues waiting until I got home at 2,100 miles for second change? I do plan on tracking the car occasionally, so I would like to follow the maintenance schedule for warranty protection, but skipping that last stop would definitely help with logistics. With all that said, I am curious to hear what others would do in this situation. Thanks! Eric

03-23-2023, 01:58 PM	#4
JSH Drives: '20 ZLE Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: At high elevation Posts: 3,060	Ship __________________ '20 ZL1 1LE A10 OEM forged LT4 376 cid short block, HPE 850 long block [not max effort], Edelbrock 2650, snout/inlet ported by KONG, All bumper to bumper bolt-ons, 104 oct: tuned by KingLT1, Boost and gasoline - no eth, no meth, no N2O, DYNO JET 1031whp/1004trq corrected, 873/851 uncorrected, 1150bhp est., 1.41/9.61/145 at 6923DA, 1.43/9.64 at 7845 DA (All launches were 2nd gear from idle, it's got traction issues, five passes so far, 15 in. conversion in June.)

03-23-2023, 02:03 PM	#5
LeonardS Drives: 1969 Z28,1992 Z28,1994 Z28,1999 SS Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: Jamestown, ND Posts: 803	With record or near record snowfall in most northern states, I wouldn’t risk driving it. We are setting daily records for cold temperatures, snow on the ground and continuing snowfall. __________________ 23 ZLE Rapid Blue, M6. 6/27 TPW. Off assembly line on July 12th. To Dealer August 6th. Delivered August 8th. 29 miles. 99 SS Vert, Hugger Orange, A4, 806 miles 94 Z28, Black, M6, 595 miles 92 Z28, last car built at Van Nuys Plant, Red, A4, 125 miles www.last1992camaro.com 69 Z28, Dusk Blue, M4

03-23-2023, 02:26 PM	#8
HemiDave Drives: ZLE/DEMON/GLADIATOR/GSXR1000R/ZX10R Join Date: Aug 2022 Location: New York Posts: 266	Yes. __________________ 2018 Dodge Demon #1399 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon 6 speed manual 2023 ZL1 1LE 6 speed manual ************************* 2018 Suzuki GSXR 1000R 2021 Kawasaki ZX10R

03-23-2023, 02:56 PM	#11
BluePhoenix Drives: 2020 GMC Sierra AT4 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Hanover, PA Posts: 3,239	At those costs I’d ship it. __________________ 2023 Camaro 2SS 1LE Summit White 1100 - 3/23/2023 2000 - 3/27/2023 3000 - 3/28/2023 3400 - 4/12/2023 — 4/24 TPW 3800 - 4/28/2023 5000 - 5/30/2023 6000 - 6/03/2023 2020 GMC Sierra AT4 6.2L Black

03-23-2023, 01:55 PM	#2
Alexk Drives: '23 1SS 1LE Shadow Gray Join Date: May 2022 Location: FL Posts: 65	Ship it

03-23-2023, 02:18 PM	#6
Nothing like an SS Faster!!! Drives: 2020 Camaro 1SS 1LE Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 880	That distance, ship it. I am usually the drive it guy, but not that far! Good luck with your new ride!!!!

03-23-2023, 02:25 PM	#7
bootss Drives: 2021 ZL1 1LE with PDR Join Date: Oct 2022 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 171	Ship it. Imagine it getting stolen out of a hotel parking lot because you got tired and pulled off to sleep

03-23-2023, 02:35 PM	#9
jamala00 Drives: 2016 Camaro 2SS Hyper Blue Metallic Join Date: May 2020 Location: WI Posts: 2,098	Agreed with others. Ship it... The only thing is logistics in todays world suck. Shipping it could add another 6 weeks or longer to your delivery. Trying to find a reputable shipper is also not easy. Make sure whomever you hire is not just another broker. Summer only tires in April cross country over mountains...You'd have to be 1/2 crazy.

03-23-2023, 02:45 PM	#10
Realist Drives: No Camaro :( Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Chitown Burbs Posts: 1,113	I luv road trips and to get an opportunity in a ZL1, I would be all over that. If it has PDR I would record the whole trip, documented breakin miles too. Bring a buddy and make the trip even more enjoyable. Oh and early congrats!! Even low evening temps wouldn’t concern me much longer.

03-23-2023, 03:01 PM	#12
MisterMarauder Drives: 2023 Radiant Red ZL1 Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: US Posts: 83	I purchased my ZL1 from NJ and I live in NC, so I also debated on drive vs ship. •I have trust issues with car transports. It's my car, so I'm more concerned about incidental damage than them. •I considered renting a truck and trailering it myself. Decided against that. •I considered driving it home and eventually settled on that. •I looked into what it would take to protect it on the drive as I was having it PPFed when I got back and did not want damage pre-protection. I ended up buying 3 rolls of 3M automotive masking tape off Amazon, tossed in my carry-on and covered the entire front, doubling up on layers. Drove home, removed tape(no residue) inspected it and did not find any chips. Detailer had no issues with paint correction and PPF. Ultimately, it was a win/win. The drive home covered the break-in period and I got to see the countryside in my new ZL1. That said, the distance of my drive is considerably less than yours and I don't think I'd drive that in a new car. I'd either trailer it myself or pay to ship. Though, I don't think I would've purchased one so far away. __________________ Current 2023 Radiant Red ZL1 1992 Z28 Previous 2018 2SS Redline Edition 1992 RS

03-23-2023, 03:10 PM	#13
JTS Drives: 2023 ZL1 A10 Join Date: Nov 2021 Location: Az Posts: 512	Ship it, do a face time , Zoom pre delivery , you could fly out for pre delivery and load onto transport (hope you got a quote for covered inside trailer transport) . Again ship it , then you got a clean undercarriage and no rock chips and perfect when you have Xpel ppf installed , no rock chip windshield , that would have to be replaced. JMO , good luck with your dicision. __________________ 2023 ZL1 A10 Shadow Gray Metallic

03-23-2023, 03:19 PM	#14
arpad_m Drives: 2018 Camaro 2SS A8 Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: East Tennessee Posts: 9,649 View My Garage	That distance is huge, the long drive risky with a brand new car, and logistics potentially problematic, as you already pointed out. Ship it. __________________ 2018 Camaro 2SS — G7E MX0 NPP F55 IO6 735 rwhp \| 665 rwtq Magnuson TVS 2300 80mm pulley \| Kooks 1 7/8" LT headers \| JRE smooth idle terminator cam \| LT4 FS & injectors \| TSP forged pistons & rods JMS PowerMAX \| DSX flex fuel kit \| Roto-Fab CAI \| Soler 95mm LT5 TB \| 1LE wheels \| 1LE brakes \| BMR rear cradle lockout \| JRE custom tune 1100 - 1/30/18 \| 2000 - 1/31/18 3000 - 2/06/18 TPW 2/26/18 3400 - 2/19/18 \| 3800 - 2/26/18 4300 - 2/27/18 \| 4B00 - 3/01/18 4200 - 3/05/18 \| 4800 - 3/14/18 5000 - 3/16/18 \| 6000 - 3/19/18

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