How Much Is My Junk Car Worth in Chicago

Five things decide the number: what the car weighs, what scrap metal is trading for that week, whether its parts still sell, the catalytic converter, and how much of the car is still there. Mileage, paint and a new stereo matter far less than they would on a used car lot, because nobody is going to drive this one off a showroom floor.

Weight is where the number starts

Metal is bought by the pound, and the paperwork proves it. Illinois requires scrap processors to log each vehicle they take in on a weight ticket, together with the seller’s identification and proof of ownership (625 ILCS 5/5-401.3). That is why a full-size pickup in a Chicago Lawn driveway starts from a different place than a compact sedan parked on 55th Street, before anyone looks under the hood.

You don’t need to weigh anything yourself. The year, make and model tell us roughly what the car weighs, and trucks, vans and SUVs simply carry more steel. If yours has a plow mount, a utility box or a camper shell, mention it.

The scrap market moves every week

Steel, aluminum and copper prices rise and fall with demand at the mills, so a quote you got last month may not match one today. That’s the reason you won’t find a price list on this site: it would be out of date before you finished reading it. What does hold still is our quote once we give it. An offer from us doesn’t expire, so you can take a few days to think.

Parts that can go back on the road

A car is worth more than its weight in steel when some of its pieces still have buyers. Illinois law treats the big mechanical parts differently from the rest of the car: the same statute that stops scrap processors from reselling a vehicle or its essential parts carves out engines, transmissions and powertrains (625 ILCS 5/5-401.3). A good engine in a car with a crushed rear end still counts.

Model matters too. Doors, headlights, mirrors and wheels from cars that are common on Gage Park side streets find takers, because plenty of people are still driving the same model and need a replacement after a fender bender. Parts from a rare import with a small following are harder to place.

The catalytic converter

The converter can add real money to a junk car because of the precious metals coated inside it. How much it adds depends on the vehicle and on whether the original unit is still bolted in. Leave it attached. Illinois makes it a violation for a metal dealer to buy a converter that isn’t on a vehicle unless the seller holds a parts recycler or scrap processor license (815 ILCS 325/4.1), so for most owners the converter’s value reaches them only through the car. Our guide to catalytic converter value covers stolen and replaced converters.

Complete or picked over

A car that spent a winter in the alley behind a two-flat sometimes loses its battery, tires or converter before anyone calls a buyer. Every missing piece lowers the number, and a quote only works if it matches what’s actually there. Tell us what’s gone, and we price the car you have, not the one in the registration.

Factor	Pushes the offer up	Pulls the offer down
Weight	Full-size truck, van or SUV	Small compact or subcompact
Scrap market	Metal prices climbing	Metal prices sliding
Parts	Common model, sound engine or transmission	Rare model, seized or burned engine
Converter	Factory converter in place	Converter cut off or missing
Completeness	Wheels, battery and panels all there	Stripped, gutted or burned out

What to have ready when you ask

A good quote comes from good details. Before you call or fill in the form, gather these:

1. Year, make, model and the VIN. You can read the 17-character VIN through the lower left corner of the windshield, and it’s also printed on the registration card and often the insurance card (NHTSA).
2. Whether it starts, and what’s wrong with it.
3. Anything missing, burned or flooded.
4. Where it sits: a driveway, a garage off the alley, the street, or a repair shop lot.
5. The papers you have. A title is simplest. If it’s missing, tell us what you do have, such as a bill of sale, registration or an insurance card; Illinois rules decide which papers work for a scrap sale, and we check that with you by phone.

Towing costs you nothing, so no haul charge comes out of the number. If the car can’t move under its own power, our page on non-running cars explains how pickup works, and the scrap car page covers cars that are past saving. Still deciding whether junk is the right route at all? Compare it with a trade-in and a private sale in this side-by-side guide.

Ask for your number

Send the details through the cash offer form or call (872) 356-9663 between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., any day of the week. We start every pickup route from our base on Western Avenue in Gage Park, and neighbors a few minutes south in Chicago Lawn are a short run down the same street.