Who buys junk cars, and what each one needs from you

Who buys junk cars in Chicago?

Junk cars in Chicago get bought by six kinds of buyer: junkyards, scrap yards, self-service salvage yards, private buyers, online instant-offer services and local pickup buyers. The difference is what each one needs from you. We’re a local pickup buyer: we buy junk, wrecked and scrap vehicles, tow them free and pay at pickup.

If you’ve already decided to sell and just want the order of things, how to junk a car in Chicago runs through it step by step. This page is about picking who gets the car.

What does each type of junk car buyer need from you?

Buyer	Title needed?	Keys needed?	Who tows?	When you’re paid
Junkyard	Title or other ownership papers; Illinois yards must keep one on file	Rarely, if the car arrives on a truck	You, unless the yard runs its own truck	When the car is dropped off or collected
Scrap yard	Title or a listed ownership document, plus two forms of ID	No, it’s weighed, not driven	Usually you	At the scale, once it’s weighed
Self-service salvage yard	Same ownership papers as any licensed yard	Rarely	Usually you; ask if they collect	When the car is dropped off or collected
Private buyer or marketplace	Yes, signed over so they can title it	Yes, they’ll want to start it	The buyer	When they take it, as you agree
Online instant-offer service	Asked on the online form	Asked on the form	Often a local tow operator they book	Varies, so read the terms first
Local pickup buyer	Title or the papers you have, checked on the call	Not always; ask	The buyer’s truck	Ideally at pickup, before the car leaves

Most sellers sort buyers by the number. Look hard at the last two columns as well. A yard that won’t collect means you pay for a tow or borrow a trailer, and a buyer who pays later has your car before you have the money.

Junkyards

A junkyard takes cars apart and sells the parts. In Illinois it’s licensed, and section 5/5-401.2 of the Vehicle Code makes a licensed yard keep a title, salvage certificate, junking certificate, certificate of purchase, uniform invoice, out-of-state bill of sale or other acceptable ownership document for every vehicle it takes in, along with the year, make, model and VIN. That’s why the first thing a yard asks about is paper. Getting the car there is usually your problem.

Scrap yards

A scrap processor buys the car for its metal, so it goes on the scale. Section 5/5-401.3 says the processor can’t acquire a vehicle without one of a listed set of ownership papers, and from a private seller it has to record ID from two sources, one of them a driver’s license or a state ID card. Bring both. Payment usually comes once the car has crossed the scale and the weight is on the ticket.

Self-service salvage yards

These are the yards where customers walk the rows with their own tools and pull parts. They’re licensed yards too, so the same paperwork rules apply. What they care about is whether people will come looking for that car’s parts, which is what the most wanted junk cars is about.

Private buyers and marketplaces

A neighbor, a mechanic who fixes cars up to resell, a stranger answering a listing. This route suits a car that runs, or one that’s cheap to put right. A private buyer needs the title signed over to register the car in their name, wants the keys, and usually wants to hear it start. Expect haggling at the curb and the odd no-show. Get paid before you sign the title, and take your plates off before it leaves.

Online instant-offer services

You type in the year, make and model (or the VIN), answer a few questions, and get a number on screen. The pickup is often handed to a local tow operator. Before you book, read what the number depends on: some offers change after an inspection at the car, and the payment method and timing vary from one service to the next.

Local pickup buyers

You call or fill in a form, get an offer, the buyer’s truck comes to the car, and you’re paid there. Ask any of them the same three things: is the tow really free, are you paid before the car leaves, and does the offer have an expiry date?

Our answers, since we’re one of them: the tow is free and nothing comes off the offer for it; you’re paid at pickup in cash or by Zelle, Cash App or another app; the offer doesn’t expire. We buy cars without keys (tell us when you call), take several cars in one visit, and collect from repair shops and apartment or HOA lots once you’ve arranged access. The truck covers the city itself, the suburbs of Cook, DuPage and Will counties (Joliet and Aurora among them), and Northwest Indiana over the state line as far as Gary. There’s more on how we buy junk cars on the home page.

Which buyer suits your car?

Four quick cases:

• It runs and it’s worth fixing. That’s a private sale. The buyer wants a car to drive, and yours still is one.
• It’s dead, and you can move it. If you have a trailer, a friend with a tow truck and a free afternoon, a junkyard or scrap yard is an option.
• It’s dead and it’s staying put. A pickup buyer, local or online, comes to the car.
• The title is missing. Talk to the buyer before anything else, because Illinois yards can’t take a car in without ownership papers of some kind. Tell us which papers you have and we confirm on the call.

Can you sell a junk car to the government?

Not anymore. The federal Car Allowance Rebate System, the “cash for clunkers” program, began in July 2009 and ended on August 24, 2009, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Whether any government program will take your car today covers what’s left.

Before you agree to any buyer

Get the offer in writing, even if it’s just a text. Ask whether anything can come off it at pickup. And don’t sign the title until the money is in your hand or in your account. Some buyers lean on sellers at the curb, and the tricks junkyards use are easier to spot when you’ve read about them first. When you’re ready, get an offer from us and compare it against whoever else you’re talking to.

Sources for this guide

• 625 ILCS 5/5-401.2 (FindLaw): the records and ownership papers a licensed yard must keep for each vehicle.
• 625 ILCS 5/5-401.3 (FindLaw): the papers a scrap processor needs before acquiring a vehicle, the seller ID it records and the weight ticket.
• Bureau of Economic Analysis, CARS program FAQ: the dates the federal cash for clunkers program ran.