Sell Your Junk Jeep in Chicago
What makes a junk Jeep worth more or less?
Cash For Junk Cars Tim's LLC buys junk Jeeps across Chicago, from Liberties with rotted rear control arms to Grand Cherokees and Wranglers that stopped running. Four-wheel-drive parts, weight, rust and recall history set the offer: axles and transfer cases add to it, missing parts subtract. Our truck hauls it off at no charge, and you get paid before it leaves your block.
Jeep models we get calls about
| Model | Years | What matters for the offer |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Cherokee | 1993 to 1998 | Fuel tank recall for certain rear impacts; the remedy added a Chrysler-designed tow hitch. |
| Grand Cherokee | 2005 to 2015 | Ignition switch recall on 2005 to 2007, shifter rollaway software fix on 2014 and 2015. |
| Liberty | 2002 to 2007 | Same fuel tank recall, plus rear lower control arms that can fracture from corrosion on 2004 to 2007. |
| Wrangler JK | 2007 to 2010 | Axles, transfer case, doors and tops count even when the body is rough; clockspring airbag recall. |
| Cherokee | 2014 to 2015 | Nine-speed automatic recall for unexpected shifts into neutral. |
| Patriot and Compass | 2010 to 2012 | Lighter compact SUVs; software recall for side curtain airbag and pretensioner deployment. |
| Wrangler 4xe | 2021 to 2023 | Plug-in hybrid, so the high-voltage battery changes both handling and price. |
A Jeep is usually heavier than the car parked next to it, and four-wheel drive puts more hardware underneath: a transfer case, a front axle, extra driveshafts. That hardware is why a tired Jeep can bring a better junk offer than a car of the same age, and why one of our first questions is what has already been taken off.
Liberty and the older Grand Cherokee
Chrysler’s 2013 fuel tank recall covers 1993 to 1998 Grand Cherokees and 2002 to 2007 Liberties. The tanks are at risk of failing and leaking in certain rear impacts, and the remedy was an inspection plus a Chrysler-designed tow hitch where the vehicle could support one (NHTSA 13V252). If your Liberty was hit from behind, mention it, along with any fuel smell.
The 2004 to 2007 Liberty has a second problem that fits Chicago winters a little too well: its rear lower control arms can corrode badly enough to fracture, and a broken arm can cost you control of the vehicle (NHTSA 18V278). A Liberty that clunks over every pothole on Archer Avenue may be telling you exactly that. Don’t drive it to a buyer. We bring the tow.
Grand Cherokee: knees, keys and the shifter
On 2005 to 2007 Grand Cherokees and 2006 and 2007 Commanders, a driver’s knee or a heavy key ring can knock the key to Off or Accessory, shutting off the engine and with it the airbags, power steering and power brakes (NHTSA 14V438). Newer trucks had a different issue. The 2014 and 2015 Grand Cherokee with the eight-speed and the monostable gear selector got a software update because drivers could climb out with the transmission still in gear, thinking it was in Park (NHTSA 16V240).
Before pickup day, leave the parking brake on and take everything but the key off the ring.
Wrangler, Cherokee and parts that keep their value
Wranglers are the Jeeps people rebuild, so their parts keep moving long after the body is finished. Axles, the transfer case, doors, hardtops and soft-top frames all count toward the offer, which is why we ask what’s missing. On 2007 to 2010 Wrangler JKs, dust can contaminate the clockspring and keep the driver airbag from deploying (NHTSA 16V290).
The 2014 and 2015 Cherokee uses a nine-speed automatic, and a recall covers poorly crimped wiring at the transmission sensors that can drop it into neutral without warning (NHTSA 16V529). Lighter 2010 to 2012 Patriots and Compasses had a software error that could delay or block the side curtain airbags and seatbelt pretensioners in a rollover (NHTSA 13V233). The newest Jeep you might be selling, a 2021 to 2023 Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid, has recalls tied to its hybrid powertrain, including one where a loss of communication can shut the engine down (NHTSA 22V865). On a wrecked 4xe, the high-voltage battery is a big piece of the offer.
A Jeep that’s been sitting
If your Jeep has been parked behind the house for years waiting on a project that never happened, it still sells. Before a dead Jeep on a driveway turns into a letter from the city, read our inoperable vehicle guide. If you bought the Jeep in another state and never retitled it in Illinois, the out-of-state title guide covers that case.
We reach Garfield Ridge by 55th Street and Central Avenue, and Burbank by Columbus Avenue and 79th Street, and both get the same free tow. Junk car removal walks through pickup day, and a Jeep stripped past the point of parts still goes by weight as a scrap car.
Questions people ask us
- My Liberty has a tow hitch the dealer installed for a recall. Does that matter?
- Only as a sign the fuel tank recall was done. Chrysler's remedy for 2002 to 2007 Liberties and 1993 to 1998 Grand Cherokees was an inspection plus a hitch to protect the tank in some rear impacts. It barely moves our offer either way.
- Will you buy a Wrangler with a rusted-out body?
- Yes. A rough tub doesn't cancel out the axles, transfer case, doors and top, and we price those in. Tell us what has already been removed so the number is right the first time.
- Do you take a Jeep that has sat in the yard for years?
- Yes. Flat tires, a dead battery and seized brakes are normal for a Jeep that sat, and we tow it as it is. If the city has sent you a notice about it, read our guide to Chicago's inoperable vehicle rules and call us soon.
Services
Guides
- Inoperable Vehicle Rules in Chicago, on the Street and Off ItA dead car on the street already counts as abandoned in Chicago. The rules, the costs, and private property limits.
- Selling a Car With an Out-of-State Title in IllinoisA title from Indiana, Wisconsin or farther away: what Illinois accepts for a junk sale and what to fix before pickup.
Pickup areas
- 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.