We Buy Wrecked and Accident-Damaged Cars
Will you buy a car that was in an accident?
Yes. Cash For Junk Cars Tim's LLC buys wrecked and accident-damaged cars in Chicago and the nearby suburbs, whether the damage is a crushed front end, deployed airbags or a bent frame. We tow it free from your home, a body shop or a storage lot and pay you at pickup.
After a crash, the car usually ends up in one of three places: your street, a body shop lot or a tow yard. We pick up from all three, and the damage itself rarely stops a sale.
What we ask about a wreck
- Where it was hit. Front, side or rear tells us which parts survived.
- Whether the airbags went off. Deployed bags are common in our pickups and don’t end the conversation.
- Whether it rolls. A car with a bent wheel or locked suspension needs a different hookup, so we want to know before we send the truck.
- What the insurer decided. If they declared it a total loss, read our guide on total losses in Illinois for what that means for the title.
Title paperwork after a crash
A car an insurer has totaled may carry a salvage certificate instead of a regular title, and a repaired one may carry a rebuilt title. Both can be sold, and our guide to salvage and rebuilt titles explains the difference. Tell us which paper you have and we’ll confirm the rest on the call.
Getting it out of a storage lot
If the car went to a tow yard after the accident, storage charges can build up day by day, so it pays to move quickly. Settle what you owe the yard, ask how they release vehicles to another tow truck, and give us the address. If the car is still drivable but you don’t want to put money into it, the same steps apply as for any junk car removal.
Questions people ask us
- My insurer totaled the car but I kept it. Can I sell it to you?
- Yes. A car you kept after a total loss may need a salvage certificate in Illinois, so tell us what paperwork the insurer gave you and we'll confirm the sale on the call.
- The car is at a body shop. Can you pick it up there?
- Yes. Pay any bill you owe the shop, tell them we're coming, and ask them to release the car to us. We collect it from the shop lot.
- Does a wrecked car get a lower offer than a dead one?
- Not always. A wreck with a good engine and transmission can be worth more than an intact car with a seized motor. Tell us which parts were hit and we'll price it from there.
Other vehicles we buy
Read before you sell
- Insurance Totaled My Car: Keeping It or Selling It in IllinoisKeep the wreck or let the insurer take it: the two Illinois exceptions, your settlement rights, and selling a kept car.
- Salvage Title and Rebuilt Title in IllinoisSalvage certificate or rebuilt title: how each happens in Illinois, what the inspection checks, and how to sell either.
Nearby pickup areas
- Junk Car Buyer for West EnglewoodFrom Racine to the tracks, about 2 miles from our base: south on Western, then east on 63rd Street.
- Junk Vehicle Removal in Garfield RidgeMidway's neighborhood, about 5 miles from our base: straight out 55th Street, then north on Central Avenue.
- Sell Your Junk Car in Burbank, IllinoisA city of single-family streets just south of Midway, about 8 miles from Western Avenue by Columbus Avenue and 79th Street.
Makes we see often
- Selling a Junk Nissan in ChicagoAltima, Sentra and Versa CVT failures after the warranty extensions ran out, plus Illinois salt recalls on Pathfinders and Versas.
- Junk Hyundai Pickup for Chicago OwnersTheta II engine recalls on Sonatas, the immobilizer theft wave, and ABS fire recalls that tell owners to park outside.