When buying a car, most people just go to their local dealer, find a car on the lot that they like and sign papers. It’s an easy way to buy a car but not always the best way. In fact, it’s most often the worst way as you don’t know if you’re getting a good deal or not and you often can’t find the exact car that you want if you do it that way. However, searching for the perfect car at the perfect price can be tiresome, especially if you’re looking in a specific area. One way to really get a good chance at finding that perfect car is to expand the search.

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If you expand the search to outside of your state, you can find far more cars with better deals and more easily find the options you want. The only issue is that the car is out of your state, so how to you get it? That’s where car shipping comes into play.

Almost two years ago, we purchased a BMW i3 BEV for BMWBLOG. Despite being based in Chicago, the BMW i3 we bought actually came from New Jersey. We were able to get a better deal that way and get the car that we wanted. But obviously we ran into a bit of a problem with getting it here. And, if you haven’t heard, the electric cars aren’t great road-trip cars, thanks to their relatively short range and long recharge times. So driving it back wasn’t really an option. That’s why we had the i3 shipped back, by Montway Auto Transport.

Now, we’re getting another car, this time a 2017 BMW i3 REx. This time, we aren’t getting it from New Jersey, we’re getting our i3 from BMW of Manhattan in…Manhattan. Our buddy Manny Antunes helped us out yet again and luckily for us he had the only i3 configuration in the country that we were after. So even if we wanted to go local, it would have been more complicated.

To get the i3 REx all the way back to Chicago, we’re going to use Montway Auto Transport again. Technically, we could drive it back because the new BMW i3 has a 114 mile range and this one has a range extender. But that would be obnoxious and potentially dangerous if too cold outside, so we’re going to ship it again. Montway Auto Transport is a fully licensed and insured broker and carrier, with a network of over 25,000 experienced and dependable drivers. They provide full insurance coverage for your vehicle during transport and their customer service agent will address any of your concerns seven days a week. It’s also important to always research your transport carrier. For example, Montway Auto Transport is “A+” rated by the Better Business Bureau with a 5-star rating on over 3000 reviews on TransportReviews.com.

Montway Auto Transport has two choices of trucks to transport your car, either open or enclosed carriers. Enclosed transport is a bit more expensive, but the safer choice if you prefer extra care to accommodate your vehicle. Open car transport is what you see most often on the highway. Open vehicle carriers aren’t unsafe, per say, but they don’t shield the car from the elements. It is, however, the most common and economical shipping service. During transport, the car is exposed to elements like rain, sun, and dust, but this is no different than when you are driving it on the highway yourself.

For this situation, Montway Auto Transport sends the sort of truck request to the dealership to pick up the car that had all of its paperwork signed ahead of time. They will then ship it anywhere in the country and deliver it right to your door, in this case Chicago. Now, you can take delivery in two different ways. If you cannot wait to get your car, you can spend a bit more money and get a specific truck just for your car, which can have it delivered in just a few days. However, if you have the time to wait a week or two, you can have your car put on a carrier with other cars and yours will be delivered in order. So it takes a bit longer but is cheaper.

Last time around the car was delivered to our office in just 5 business. It took literally 5 minutes to offload the car and sign the paperwork, and the whole experience was extremely painless.

The 2017 BMW i3 REx that we ordered is painted in the new Fluid Black color, has the Deka World color with the dark cloth, moonroof and 19 inch wheels. Just like our first i3, this one will be put through the rough Chicago winters with a proper set of tires.