Cutting Costs by Delivering Cars

If you want to explore North America but keep your transportation costs to a minimum, one option is to deliver a vehicle for an auto drive-away company.

The drive-away companies are contracted by corporations and individuals to deliver their cars to various North American cities. In peak periods when there are lots of drivers available, you may only get your first tank of gas paid for. If you hit a busy route during a time when few drivers are available, you might have all your gas expenses covered, or perhaps your ticket home.

You can locate drive-away companies through newspaper advertisements, or in the Yellow Pages under “Automobile Transporters” or “Automobile Drive-Away.” Routes and requirements vary by company. Auto Driveaway Co., telephone (213) 666-6100, has 56 offices in the U.S. and Canada. Its age minimum for drivers is 21. The Drive-Away Co., tel. (407) 839-1310, mainly needs drivers for cars going to Los Angeles and has offices in Houston, Miami, Orlando, Fla., and New York. Its minimum age for drivers is 19.

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A budget tour service geared to backpackers is now offering Appalachian Adventures. The Blue Blaze Bus leaves Washington, D.C., every Monday morning and heads out to the back roads of Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina.

The company uses 14-passenger minibuses, and nights are spent camping in mountain hostels or rustic log cabins.

For further information, contact Blue Blaze Bus, P.O. Box 982, Damascus, VA 24236; tel. (800) 475-5095.

Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. She can be reached at https://www.izon.com.