There are three ways to get rid of a car you don’t want anymore, and each one suits a different kind of car. The wrong choice costs time: weeks of listing a car nobody will test drive, or a trade-in number that quietly disappears into the price of the next car.
Side by side
| Junk buyer | Private sale | Trade-in | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does the car need to run? | No | Usually; buyers want a test drive | Usually; the dealer sets the value |
| Who moves the car | We tow it, free | The buyer drives or tows it | You drive it to the dealer |
| How long it takes | Often the same day | Days to weeks | One visit, if you’re buying |
| Paperwork for you | Sign the title or the agreed papers | Sign the title; the buyer files Form RUT-50 | The dealer handles it |
| When you’re paid | At pickup, in cash, Zelle or Cash App | When the buyer pays | As credit toward another car |
| Strangers at the house | One driver at a set time | Callers, viewings, test drives | None |
| Best for | Dead, wrecked or not worth fixing | Running cars with real resale value | Running cars when you’re buying anyway |
When a private sale makes sense
A car that runs well, looks decent and would pass a buyer’s inspection is worth more to a private buyer than to anyone else, because the buyer gets a car to drive. If you have the time, a safe place to show it and the patience for calls and test drives, sell it that way.
The buyer handles their own side of the paperwork. Under the Illinois Department of Revenue rules, someone who buys a vehicle from a private party reports the purchase on Form RUT-50, and the Secretary of State won’t process their title and plates without a printed copy. A buyer who knows that usually wants the car running and the title clean.
When a trade-in makes sense
A trade-in is a convenience. If you’re buying from a dealer anyway, handing over the old car in the same visit saves a separate sale. The catch is that the trade-in value is the dealer’s number. Ask for it in writing, separately from the price of the car you’re buying, so you can compare it.
When junking makes sense
Junk the car when any of these is true:
- it doesn’t start, or it can’t be driven safely to a buyer
- the repair estimate is close to, or more than, what the car would be worth fixed
- it’s been sitting and collecting tickets, or the city has tagged it
- you’ve tried to sell it and nobody calls
That’s the car we buy. A junk offer is based on the car’s weight and the parts worth recovering, so it doesn’t depend on the car running, and the tow is included. Our non-running cars page explains the sale, and if you’re torn between pulling parts and selling the car whole, see part it out or sell it whole. To compare junk buyers with junkyards and scrap yards, read junkyard or junk car buyer.
A simple test
Get a junk offer first. It doesn’t expire, so it costs nothing to hold. If a private buyer or a dealer beats it, take their deal. If not, the number is still there.
We buy cars from Washington Heights to Calumet Heights and across the Far South Side. Get your offer, or call (773) 200-7724.