Would like to be a courier So Cal to New England this spring

[CAtoNH]

Hello! I am new to the forum but have been reading several of them. I'd like to be a courier for an RV (preferably Class C) this spring to move from southern California to just south of Boston. I have an elderly cat with bone spurs and arthritis, so she can't be jammed in a carrier for other moving options. (Also, an RV sounds fun.)
I've gathered from other forums that southern California RV's are often better deals than New England- based vehicles because of the rust issue. I've seen posters advising to buy in CA and re-sell in New England, but I don't have the spare money to take that chance, and I definitely don't have the gas money for the trip if I did a rental, as I imagine gas alone must be about 3k!
I was thinking I could call Boston area RV dealers and see if they had an interest in me acting as a courier in exchange for the gas cost. I also thought about maybe posting on Craigslist, I'm just concerned I might get some sketchy replies or scammers. I checked uship dot com (apparently they are on "Shipping Wars," but I haven't seen it!) but I'm not seeing any Rv listings, and a forum message seemed to indicate the site is lacking in RV listing options.
Any advice is appreciated-- where/whom to ask or post, and if this is even a reasonable request!

Thanks 🙂

[Veebyes]

This one has insurance & liability issues written all over it.

[westend]

8 day rental from Budget pickup at hollywood CA, drop off at Cambridge MA $726 without damage waivers or any special road side asst, etc.

3000 mi. at 30 mpg = 100 gal of gas. Average Cost per gal = 3.30. Total fuel bill = $330.

A little over $1050 vehicle costs.

If you can put the hammer down, you can definitely get there in less than 8 days, 6 or less if you're experienced, it's 60 hrs. of drive time. Figure in a motel stay at $100/night twice or three nights, the balance catching a long nap in the car (choose those seats wisely) and your trip costs less food and drink is still under $1500.

I haven't talked to your cat but I would think 4 or 5 hrs. in a carrier on an airplane is going to be less stressful than a few days long trip on the road.

[bumpus4]

Rent a small car, one way. cheaper. no hassle, if you qualify.

[Padlin]

CAtoNH wrote:
I've gathered from other forums that southern California RV's are often better deals than New England- based vehicles because of the rust issue.

Welcome to the forums. Out of curiosity, what is "the rust issue"? First I've heard of such.

[CAtoNH]

Yeah, obviously I was slow to catch onto how problematic the pet issue is. Because she just sits in a window all day, uses her litterbox obsessively properly, and has no claws (ugh her former people did that, not me!), she's fairly incapable of ruining anything, so I was approaching it with that in my head. But clearly it's a huge deal.
Jax, I was just starting to think about resale, like if I'm going to make the investment, I should consider reselling. It's a big gamble though, in case I can't sell it. Greater risk and greater possible reward if it paid for the move.

[2012Coleman]

Bobbo wrote:

CAtoNH wrote:
When I was younger and knew people with RV's, they all took their pets with them!

Yes, but that is THEIR pet and THEIR rv. Makes a huge difference. I have 2 dogs that RV with me, but I would never consider letting a person I don't know carry a pet in my RV. How would I know the person wouldn't let the pet potty in the RV, or tear up trim and upholstery? A huge risk for the owner letting an unknown animal run loose in there with the pet owner having absolutely no stake in protecting the RV.

Bobbo beat me to it - X2. You really want to drive and use someone elses RV across country and enjoy it like it was yours? :H

Someone would have to be nuts to consider letting you do that - or be in dire straits at which point you would be taking adavntage of their situation.

If you want an RV trip across country, then find a rental.

[Bobbo]

CAtoNH wrote:
When I was younger and knew people with RV's, they all took their pets with them!

Yes, but that is THEIR pet and THEIR rv. Makes a huge difference. I have 2 dogs that RV with me, but I would never consider letting a person I don't know carry a pet in my RV. How would I know the person wouldn't let the pet potty in the RV, or tear up trim and upholstery? A huge risk for the owner letting an unknown animal run loose in there with the pet owner having absolutely no stake in protecting the RV.

[JaxDad]

All in, you would probably be much further ahead to buy a decent used (rust free if you're in CA) vehicle and just sell it in NH where rust-free used vehicles command a premium.

If you're prepared to spend a couple grand already you may as well keep some of those dollars.

If you played your cards right, you could actually make a profit doing it that way.

[CAtoNH]

Jax, sorry to hear about your friend. That must have been hard.
Thanks again for the input.
Jax, I could follow all those rules except for the cat, as that's the whole point basically. I guess she's a way bigger dealbreaker for the driveaway stuff than I ever imagined. (When I was younger and knew people with RV's, they all took their pets with them!)
Wayne, you seem knowledgeable about pets. I'll definitely not "jam" her anywhere! It's just how it *feels* with any carrier because she's quite big, but also she's a rescue from a bad home, so she has anxiety issues with the carrier. I'd rather put myself in debt with this RV thing than make any choice that could harm her.
If I totally eat the whole fuel cost, I might find something on uship, which would still be way cheaper than a rental-- which in itself isn't too bad but the mileage fees in addition to fuel is where it gets crazy. Uship is full of people lowballing RV offers in order to take a trip themselves, so I think I might have to accept/plan for that it's going to cost 3K if I'm lucky. A private shipper might accept the cat if it saves them a couple grand in fuel costs.
That's a big "might"!

[I_am_still_wayn]

CAtoNH wrote:
I have an elderly cat with bone spurs and arthritis, so she can't be jammed in a carrier for other moving options.

No animal, regardless of health concerns, should be "jammed" in a carrier. However, a carrier large enough for the animal to stand up, turn around, and lay completely down would be the safest thing to transport your cat. Ask your vet.

[JaxDad]

I've got a little input for you from the other side of the equation, the customer / driveway service side.

I had to make arrangements last year for a family friend to get their Motorhome back north after the DH passed in Florida over the winter.

In order to preserve their reuptation every driveway service has a few basic rules for drivers, basically, NO smoking, NO pets, NO possessions other than minimal luggage, steady, productive driving, no sight-seeing (mileage is checked) or dawdling, 8 to 10 hours of highway driving per day, only weather or break-downs excepted. In the case of RV's, most require that you NOT sleep or cook in the RV.

One drive-away service rep told me flat-out, they'd list the trip if I wanted, but in 10 years he'd never yet had anyone willing to drive one based on their requirements.

[CAtoNH]

This may be its own thread, but I am finding quite a bit on uship.com, but it's all fairly last minute AND the bids are extremely low! To drive a Class B 3000 miles people are bidding as low as 1K, which has to be at least a 2K hit in fuel costs. I thought at first that must mean the bid in addition to fuel cost,but no,it's the total including fuel!

[CAtoNH]

Thanks again, Dutch. I'll send em a message on Facebook and/or Twitter just in case...doesn't hurt to ask. New York is only four hours from my destination, so if you know anyone who might be interested, please let me know. I know it's a LONG shot, but just putting it out there!

Added at Edit: I just saw they have a Class C going from San Francisco to New York! That's a good start 🙂 Thanks again.

[Dutch_12078]

CAtoNH wrote:
Dutch-- the casual drivers delivery thing is what I'm trying to check out. Reimbursement for gas would be perfect. I'm not seeking a driver's fee or upfront gas money.

Check out companies like "www.autodriveaway.com" to see what their requirements are. They mostly handle passenger cars, so I doubt if you'll find many RV runs available.