Questions about Porsche TT's on the AutoTrain to Florida..
 

Myself and one or two of the 6 Pack members are looking into options to get ourselves and our cars to Florida in the coming 2 months for CargraphicUSA’s grand opening. We have looked at driving, hiring a car transport and the AutoTrain.

Concerning this last option, my parents used it recently and I asked my father to take a few pictures of the loading area so we could see if our 3 ½” ground clearance cars could make it onto the train. Amtrak says they require a minimum of 4 inches. I don’t know if this is extra conservatism or not. We would obviously limit ourselves to the lower level, but nonetheless, has anyone done this? If so, please share your experiences and anything we should look out for/be aware of.

Thanks in advance!!

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Hi Ken,

Is this the Auto Train where you ride in the train as well. Sorry for my ignorance but I'm from Montreal. But I was recently in florida and my gf's uncle from new york took it from virginia I believe. He had a two way ticket and actually opted to drive back because supposedly the train was terribly uncomfortable. That might just be that he is older though.

Don't know if that helps or not. Have fun whatever way you choose to get down there ;)

This train starts in Virginia and ends near Orlando. I only took an overnight train one other time, actually, it was when I went to Florida to take delivery of my car! The sleeping quarters are a bit tight, but not that bad. I assume the sleeping cars are the same as the non-auto train I took.

Did your gf's uncle say anything about the car handling? That is my biggest concern. Do they load, or does the owner load? Will there be issues with 3 1/2" of ground clearance? These are the things I am curious about.

I'm not 100% sure on the loading but from what I understood they load the cars on and off. From an insurance/legal stand point it would seem that the company would want to keep patrons from dealing with the loading of their cars incase of injury. I'm sure her uncle didn't load his car but your best bet would be to contact the auto-train directly to see if you are able to load your own car.

Also if I were you I would inquire about how the car is harnessed as well. With the way your car is modded you want to make sure that nothing will get scratched/broken and the car will be harnessed securely.

make a vacation out of it..... and drive down!

i have taken the auto train several times, back when i was in college. the experience isn't so bad.

however, i would probably have a hauler take the porsches down to FL for you all.

i don't think i'd be comfortable with those guys loading and unloading my car.

i say this...and i am not overly anal about this kinda stuff.

Ken,

My buddies and I took the Auto Train to Florida last summer with my Turbo and a friend's M3. Basically this was my situation....I didn't want to put the miles on it driving back and forth, and didn't want to deal with a carrier for such a short trip (two weeks).

Keeping in mind my Turbo is virtually stock, I had no problems whatsoever. My friend's M3, which has coil overs and 19" I Forged wheels, unfortunately didn't do so well.

What we didn't understand until we got to the terminal was that the cars are secured to train via rails on the floor (note these rails are only on one side). The rails are similar to the tracks in a car wash which you must line up with. As my friend's tires did not have a rim protector, the rim is exposed and utmost care must be taken. Unfortunately when we arrived in Florida and the cars were unloaded, both rims on the side his car was secured were hacked up big time. Additionally, the car had 'jumped' up on the rail during the trip down landed on the side skirt, messing that up to. The trip back wasn't much better....we told them to make sure they loaded the car in the same direction so the same wheels would be in the track. They did not and the other two were messed up. You must sign a waiver if your car is lowered or has custom wheels. Luckily Amtrak didn't make him sign the 'lowered' waiver, so they covered the side skirt. The wheels he had to eat though.....he was pissed!

In the end, I would do it again with my Turbo if it was in stock form. Is it a good idea for the modded cars of the Six Pack, unfortunately it is probably not....

Best and let me know if you have any other questions about it...
Ray

I sure as heck would NOT put my car on that train.

After reading the previous post's horror story, I agree. You can't trust people for **** these days...:mad:

couldn't pay me to put one of my cars on there, no matter what it was either

The Auto Train did and still does seem like a great alternative to driving to Florida. Round trip it saves almost 2000 miles, and the trip is overnight so you get a sleeper car and wake up in Florida ready to roll.

Those on the board who know me can attest to the condition I keep my 996 Turbo and other cars (I have a detailing business too ;) ). I researched the train quite a bit before taking the trip and knew they would not cover custom wheels or lowered vehicles if there was damage. This did not bother me as my car is equipped with neither. I was fine with the wheels getting messed up as I have wanted custom ones for a while anyway, and didn’t anticipate any damage except for possibly that. As good of shape I keep my car in, I'm not anal to the point that I won’t let someone drive it 400 yards onto a train. I knew I would be able to watch the whole process, and did both when it was loaded and unloaded. My friend knew of these stipulations as well, but choose to go anyway (not a good idea obviously).

Hell I'd take it again and hope they whack my factory wheels.....the rears are $1200 each from the stealer! If they messed up all of them that would be $4000+ I could use for custom wheels, and a set of curbed wheels for the track to boot! ;) hilarious

I have used the auto train many times, I took my VW Jetta and left the 911 at home. I highly reccomend you drive or truck your car. I bought a BMW 2002tii from Terry, the owner of the Texaco Station, in Lorton, Va. that you pass on the way out of the terminal. I asked him what he thought of the Auto train, he smiled and grinned. "I do a lot of business with them. Mainly putting exhaust systems back on cars, yunno th' low 'uns."

I hear you Ray, still no way in hell i'd put any of my cars on there

Ken - DON'T DO IT.

I took the Autotrain from DC to Orlando about 5 years ago. I had a 7 Series BMW at that time. When the car was unloaded in Florida, I immediately saw that the side rocker panels under the drivers door was crushed. They obviously bottomed out the car as they soared between cars.

When I complained, they directed me over to a line with 3 or 4 others already waiting, to file an insurance claim. They were set up for this with an insurance agent standing by. It was obviously normal to have some damaged cars.
They did pay for all repairs, but I will never bring any special car on the Autotrain again.

David

f'in hillarious...and true to the point.