Guides for junk car owners: yards, titles and repairs
Which junk car guide do I need?
Start with the problem in front of you. Wondering what a yard would pay or whether to drive it there? Read the junkyard guides. Facing a big repair bill? Read fix or sell. Missing a title or holding a branded one? Read titles and paperwork. Ready to sell? Read how selling works.
- Junkyards that buy cars near Chicago, and the easier option
Driving a car to a Chicago-area junkyard vs having it picked up: what yards need, what they do with it, and when each makes sense.Updated - Can you sell a car without a catalytic converter?
A stolen or removed catalytic converter, or other missing parts, changes a junk car offer. What to tell the buyer and what to expect.Updated - How much will a junkyard pay for your car?
Weight, scrap steel prices, parts demand and paperwork set what a junkyard pays. How each one moves the number, without the hype.Updated
- Airbags went off: repair the car, let insurance total it, or junk it?
What deployed airbags add to a crash repair, why an older car often ends up totaled, NHTSA's warning on fake airbags, and when to sell the car as it sits.Updated - Car stuck at a repair shop: estimates, storage fees and selling it from the lot
Illinois repair estimates, the 10% rule, which storage fees count, the shop's lien on an unpaid bill, and how to sell the car straight off the lot.Updated - Before you junk a Hyundai or Kia with a dead engine, check for a free repair
Before you junk a Hyundai or Kia with a failed engine, check its VIN for open recalls and the Theta II lifetime engine warranty. The four checks, in order.Updated - When is a car not worth fixing? A plain test
Compare the repair quote with the car's value, its age and what else is failing. A plain test for fix, donate, sell or junk.Updated - Hydrolocked engine: can it be fixed, or is it time to sell?
How a hydrolocked engine happens, what a repair involves, and when a flooded or water-damaged car is worth more sold as-is.Updated - Catalytic converter replacement cost, and when to sell instead
What drives catalytic converter replacement cost, how it compares with the car's value, and when selling as-is is the better call.Updated
- Junk, salvage and rebuilt: Illinois title brands explained
Junking certificate, salvage certificate, rebuilt: what each Illinois title brand means, who applies, and how it changes a sale.Updated - Leased car totaled or dead: who can junk it, and what you owe
A leased car belongs to the leasing company, so you can't scrap it yourself. What happens if it's totaled or dies mid-lease, and how a buyout changes that.Updated - Cash for a car with no title: what still works
No title? What we can still buy depends on your state and your other papers. Illinois and Indiana explained, plus what to send us.Updated - Rebuilt titles in Illinois: what you should know
How a salvage car earns an Illinois REBUILT title, when an inspection is required, and what that brand does to resale and scrap value.Updated
- How to sell your junk car for cash in Chicago
Four steps from quote to payment, the papers to find, how to vet any buyer, and when you get paid. Written for Chicago-area sellers.Updated
Looking for the pickup itself rather than a guide? See free junk car pick up or the questions page.