Important Documents
 

I'm curious how people have handled the shipment of important documents related to collector cars.

Suppose a significant portion of the value of a high-dollar was due to having the original documents (protect-o-plate, window sticker, etc.). If the car was sold and later shipped, what's the best/safest way of transferring the arguably priceless paperwork?

If you send it through FedEx or UPS, and they lost it, the value of your car dropped due to the loss. Would either of them even insure the paperwork for the right amount of loss of value?

Another option would be to ship the paperwork with the carrier (Reliable, etc.). I know they have significant insurance and they may be able to insure the complete shipment including the documents.

The last option would always be to travel and collect those documents personally and have the vehicle shipped and insured.

Thoughts?

Lock it in the console/glove box or hide elsewhere in car when shipped

Registered mail

Plane ride with docs locked in a briefcase handcuffed to your wrist

Would probably depend on the actual value of the car and how important those documents are to its valuation.

If it's a legitimate investment grade vehicle being sold and the documents are the only thing that can prove its provenance, I'd be hand delivering the documents.

If it's something like a 1969 Ram Air III Firebird with a 4 spd and AC, I'd probably just hide the documents under the rear seat and ship the car.

I'd lean towards hiding them in the car .... keeping things together would seem to reduce the risk. If something bad happens to the car in transit, then the documents no longer have much value anyway, but you can insure the total value because the documents are part of the value of the car.

When you think about it .... if you are worried about something happening to the documents while the car is being shipped, well most likely the car is going to be destroyed too.

Kind of a logic problem ... the documents are probably worthless without the car, the car is not worthless without the documents.

^^^^^^^^^^...what dataway said...

Depends on the value... And how much those dollars mean to you. If you cant afford to lose them, pick them up personally.

For my GTO I bought a plane ticket and paid in cash and took the car with me in one go and that took a bit of doing as I dont live in the USA. I just felt the 8000 dollars I paid for it was more than I was comfortable losing if it went wrong..