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Junk your car in Chicago, paperwork and all

No title in hand? Tell us your papers; we check them on the call. Free towing, payment with the truck.

Get an offer for your junk car

Fill out the form to receive an instant cash offer for your vehicle. All fields are required.

Step 1 of 2: the car

No title? Pick "No" and tell us on the call which papers you have. We check them against Illinois rules.

A dusty, faded convertible parked at a city curb, the kind of car that has sat for years

Can I junk my car in Chicago without the title?

No title in hand? That's where we start. Tell Junk Car Company which papers you have, such as a bill of sale, the registration or an insurance card, and we check them on the call against Illinois scrap-sale rules. With the title, you sign it over at pickup. Free towing either way; payment comes with the truck.

Press the button that matches your papers. The form asks the same question.

You have the title

This is the simplest pickup. You sign the title over at pickup, in the seller's section, with the odometer reading. The name on the title needs to be yours.

If a lender is still listed on the title, that lien has to be cleared first.

How it works, from form to tow truck

  1. Describe the car

    Year, make, model and your title answer, then your name, phone and pickup address. Two short steps.

    Open the form

  2. Take our call

    We call with an offer and go over your papers. Illinois rules set what counts for a scrap sale, so we check before pickup.

    No-title help

  3. Pickup and payment

    Free towing, and payment in the same visit that collects the car. Same-day pickup is often possible.

    How pickup day goes

  4. Close it out with Illinois

    Keep your plates, then mail the Seller's Report of Sale, which the state says releases your responsibility for the car.

    The seller's paperwork

How junking a car works in Illinois, step by step

What to have ready for pickup

  • Your papers. The title if you have it. If not, whatever you do have: a bill of sale, the registration, an insurance card.
  • Where the car sits. Driveway, street, alley garage, a repair shop or an apartment lot, plus the nearest cross street.
  • Plates off. They're registered to you. Plates after junking
  • Your things out. Glovebox, trunk, under the seats, the garage opener.

Vehicles we buy

Any vehicle in any condition, running or not, and several in one visit if you have them.

  • Dead cars that won't start
  • Wrecks after a crash
  • Burned or flooded vehicles
  • Rusted-out or stripped scrap
  • Cars that have sat for years
  • Trucks, vans and SUVs
A rusted-out 1950s station wagon sitting in a field, chrome bumper still attached

Four things that don't change

  • Free towing. No towing charge, and nothing taken out of the offer for the tow.
  • Paid at pickup. Cash, or a digital payment such as Cash App or Zelle, when the car is collected, not days later.
  • Same-day pickup, often. We can often come the same day and confirm the time on the call.
  • Paperwork in plain words. Our Illinois guides quote the Vehicle Code and the Secretary of State, with links.

What we won't do: print prices on this site. The offer depends on the car, and you hear it on the call.

Pickups across the Far South Side

These six neighborhoods each have a page with local roads, landmarks and pickup notes. We also pick up across the rest of Chicagoland and in Northwest Indiana as far as Gary.

  1. RoselandMichigan Avenue and the Red Line Extension work zones.
  2. PullmanRowhouse blocks, alley garages and the national park.
  3. West PullmanDriveway pickups south of 115th Street.
  4. South ChicagoCommercial Avenue and curbside pickups.
  5. East SideEwing Avenue, the Skyway and State Line Road.
  6. HegewischBaltimore Avenue, Wolf Lake and Torrence Avenue.

Junk car pickup on the Far South Side

Illinois paperwork, explained with sources

Five guides for the paper problems that hold up a junk car sale. Each quotes the Illinois Vehicle Code or the Secretary of State and links to the source.

Quick answers

What do I need to junk my car in Chicago?
The title is the simplest. Without it, tell us which papers you have, such as a bill of sale or the registration, and we check them on the call against Illinois rules. Take the plates off before pickup.
Is towing free?
Yes. Towing is free, and nothing comes off the offer for it.
When do I get paid?
At pickup, when the car is collected.
How fast can you pick up?
Same-day pickup is often possible. We confirm the time when we call.
Do you buy cars that don't run?
Yes. Dead, crashed, burned, flooded or stripped, Junk Car Company buys cars, trucks, vans and SUVs whether they start or not.
Where can I get paid for my junk car in Chicago?
Right where the car is parked. Junk Car Company pays during the pickup visit, in cash or by a digital payment such as Cash App or Zelle, whichever you prefer.
Where do you pick up?
Across Chicago, including Roseland, Pullman, West Pullman, South Chicago, the East Side and Hegewisch, plus the Chicagoland suburbs and Northwest Indiana as far as Gary.

Talk to Junk Car Company

The quickest way to reach us is the form at the top of this page. Send the car details and we call you. Questions about your paperwork before you send anything? Our contact page and FAQ cover the rest, and about Junk Car Company says what we do and what we won't claim.

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