Frequently
Asked
Questions
Cost. How much is a typical rental?
Great question, tough to answer. The answer to this question varies widely based on the type of event, how long the car will be out, and how much the car needs to be driven.
Our shortest package is two hours. We typically require four hours minimum for a wedding to ensure that we are dedicated to only you and helping make your day an instant classic. Our basic fees are around $200/hr and includes 25 miles for each hour from our facility, with additional miles at $3/mile. We try to lay the full day’s itinerary out, planning each stop so that the total is a predetermined number and not a rolling meter. No surprises from us!
What all is included with the rental cost?
The price that we quote for you will include all fees, fuel, mileage, taxes, and a chauffeur. We do not add in gratuity, which will be added as a minimum of 20% of the total rental cost. Industry average gratuity for chauffeurs is typically 20-30%.
We try hard to plan everything up front including the route driven, largely to keep coordination with photographers, the rest of the wedding party, and event locations. Occasionally things come up and changes need to happen with little advance notice or even on the fly. We will do our best to accommodate and we can settle up after the fact for changes. We want to keep this an amazing experience for you and all involved!
Can I drive the cars?
Unfortunately for you the answer is no. Fortunately for you, this means that you get to sit back, relax, and enjoy the day and take everything in. Our cars are insured to be driven only by us. Due to the age of our cars, they require special training and experience to drive and operate safely in today’s high paced fast lane life. Our cars are 60-80 (+) years old, are mostly 100% original, and drive very different from modern vehicles. Your Chauffeur will be professionally dressed and treat you like royalty, opening and closing doors for you and reaching out a hand when necessary.
Which car(s) do I choose?
You can choose any of our cars as the transportation for your event. We try to keep our cars up and running smoothly and safely all the time. Being classics, they require a lot more attention to keep them going than a modern car. They sometimes decide that they need the day off unforeseen until they have some extra care. We will do everything we can to make sure your chosen car is available for your event.
Additionally, our cars are not afraid of a stray sprinkle, however in today’s traffic they are not the best equipped to be out in inclement weather. One of the key things that sets us apart from others is our commitment to still providing your event transportation as scheduled, using a more modern luxury automobile for the day. This keeps you from scrambling to find last minute transportation. If things clear up and we can make the switch we certainly will get the classic out, afterall we love driving them. If we cannot make it happen on your special day, we want to make things right and offer you a photoshoot and a day date out in our car.
What is your service area?
We typically stay in the Northern Metro Detroit area of Michigan, but are willing to listen to your ideas if you have a special request. My wife and I got married in Traverse City on the beach, so I understand!
Getting our cars to a destination is not impossible, but will likely need to be trailered and leave early that morning or even a day early, typically tying the car up all weekend. That said, we’re reasonable and rely on typical industry rates, usually discounted.
Where do we go?
This is the fun part, and where you really get to be creative! We will work with you, your event planner if you have one (I always recommend as money very well spent and lots of frustration avoided), and photographer to plan out an itinerary that works for everyone. This would include pick up location of individuals or couples, various sites around the Northern Metro Detroit area for photoshoots with the car or just your party (we hope you include the car!) and drop off at event location.
A shorter service for a wedding might include pick up of bride and groom following the ceremony, driving around to various locations for photo opps, and drop off at the reception location. This itinerary can be accomplished in 3-4 hours.
A longer service for a wedding might include picking the bride and maid of honor up (or mother of the bride), and taking them off for bagels, coffee, hair and makeup at the spa. While the girls are getting dolled up we then go pick the groom and best man up (or father) and take them for bacon, bourbon and barber shop time. Take the boys back to Top Golf (or other fun activity) for some guy time, while heading back to pick up the bride to take them back to the hotel to get ready for the rest of the day. The boys will need picked back up so they can put on their tuxedos. Drop the gentlemen off at the ceremony location, then head back for the bride, and deliver them right on time for the big event making a stunning grand entrance. After a beautiful ceremony, the bride and groom are whisked away for their first wedding photoshoots. After a few amazing picturesque stops, the newlywed couple is elegantly dropped off at their ceremony location with another grandiose entry as the new couple. This itinerary is typically 8-12 hours.
Obviously these are two ends of the spectrum, where you can chose where you want to be and how you want your day to go. All of this takes time, so needs to be planned accordingly to keep everything moving seamlessly.