South Florida is one of the biggest used-car markets in the country, and plenty of buyers don’t live here. Maybe you found a low-mileage convertible at a Broward dealer, a clean SUV from a private seller in Coral Springs, or a car at the Manheim auction in Davie. Now it’s yours, and it’s 1,200 miles from your driveway. Here’s how to get it home without flying down to drive it back.
Step 1: Confirm the car is ready to be released
Before we can book a pickup, the car has to be released to a carrier. What that takes depends on who sold it:
- Dealers. The dealer needs payment to clear and the deal paperwork to be signed. Ask your salesperson or the dealer’s office to confirm in writing that the car can be released to a transport company, and get the name of the person the driver should ask for.
- Private sellers. Agree on payment and the hand-off before you book. The seller (or someone they trust) needs to be there at pickup to hand over the key and sign the carrier’s inspection report. Make sure you have the signed title, or a clear plan for getting it, before the car leaves.
- Auctions. The auction releases the car once payment clears and issues a gate pass or release. Watch the storage deadline. See our Manheim Fort Lauderdale pickup guide and auction car transport page.
Step 2: Sort out paperwork for your home state
Title, registration, temporary tags and sales tax rules vary by state and by type of sale, and they change. We don’t handle titling or tax. Check with the dealer and your home-state DMV about what you’ll need to register the car when it arrives. The carrier generally needs only a key, the release and the contacts at both ends.
Step 3: Get a starting estimate
Send us the year, make and model, whether it runs, the pickup address and the delivery address. Here are ballpark starting estimates on common lanes out of Fort Lauderdale, from the live route pages. They change with fuel, season and events, and you get a firm price once a carrier commits.
| Lane | Open, from | Route page |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale to New York | $985 | view lane |
| Fort Lauderdale to Boston | $1,055 | view lane |
| Fort Lauderdale to Chicago | $1,020 | view lane |
| Fort Lauderdale to Orlando | $350 | view lane |
| Fort Lauderdale to Tampa | $400 | view lane |
Other lanes are on our routes page, and the cost guide explains what moves the price.
Step 4: Choose the pickup spot
Dealer lots are usually easy for carriers. Most are on main roads like Federal Highway (US-1), State Road 7 or Sunrise Boulevard, with room to load. Private-seller pickups are where planning matters. A seller in a gated community in Weston or a condo on the Galt Ocean Mile probably can’t have a carrier come to the door. In those cases we set up a nearby meeting point, such as a plaza lot, and the seller drives the car there. Our condo and HOA pickup guide explains how.
Step 5: Inspection and handover
At pickup, the driver inspects the car with whoever is handing it over and notes any existing damage on the inspection report. Ask the seller or dealer to:
- Take dated photos of all sides, the wheels and the interior, and send them to you
- Hand the driver a working key (and keep the spare for you if possible)
- Remove their own toll transponders, plates (if your state requires it) and personal items
When the car arrives, check it against the pickup report before you sign for delivery.
Open, enclosed or expedited?
- Open transport is the standard and the most affordable option. It’s how dealers move most of their inventory.
- Enclosed transport suits a classic, exotic or new luxury car you’d rather keep out of the weather. There are fewer enclosed trucks, so allow more time.
- Expedited pickup helps when a dealer or private seller wants the car gone, or storage fees are about to start. It costs more than standard open transport, and it shortens the pickup window without guaranteeing a delivery date.
Timing tips for out-of-state buyers
- Snowbird season tightens northbound lanes in April and May. If you’re buying in spring and shipping north, book as soon as the deal is done.
- Hurricane season (June through November) can delay pickups if a storm is near. See our hurricane season guide.
- Weekends are tough for private pickups in some HOA communities that don’t allow commercial trucks on Saturday or Sunday.
Watch for red flags
Buying sight unseen from a private seller carries risk no matter how the car gets home. Insist on seeing the title before you pay, check the VIN against any history report, and be wary of a seller who pushes you to use their own shipping contact or pay a shipping deposit to them. We only work with licensed carriers, and you book with us directly.
Bought-a-car questions
Do I need to be in Florida for pickup?
No. The dealer, the auction or the private seller hands the car over to the driver. You need to be (or name someone to be) at the delivery end.
Can the car ship without plates?
Plate and temporary-tag rules depend on your state and the sale. Ask the dealer and your DMV. The carrier is hauling the car, not driving it on the road.
Can I put things in the trunk?
Keep it to a minimum. Most carriers limit or don’t allow personal items, and anything in the car isn’t covered the way the car is.
How soon can you pick up?
It depends on the lane and the season. A few days is common on busy I-95 lanes. If timing is tight, ask about an expedited pickup.
CTA: Send us the car, the seller’s address and where it’s going. We’ll come back with a ballpark starting estimate and coordinate the pickup with the dealer, auction or seller.
Ready to get a quote?
Tell us where the car is, where it’s going and roughly when. We’ll give you a ballpark starting estimate, match you with a licensed carrier that runs the lane, and handle the booking from there.
Call (754) 946-4922 (Mon–Fri 8am–7pm, Sat 9am–3pm) or email hello@autoshippingnearme.com. Our yard is at 1117 NW 55th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309.