A tow is the whole job. We can make you a fair offer on a junk car, but if the truck can’t get to it, nothing happens. So this page is about the tow itself, the part of junk car removal in Chicago nobody else explains.
Is junk car towing free?
Yes. Junk car towing with Cars Junk Man is free anywhere in Chicago. We buy the car and tow it away ourselves, and no towing charge is taken out of your offer. The amount we agree on the phone is the amount you're paid at pickup, whether the car sits on the street, in an alley or in a garage.
That’s the whole policy. Some buyers quote a number and then take a “tow fee” off it at the curb, which is why we put it plainly. If you want the longer version of how buyers usually cover the cost of the truck, read how towing is priced into the offer.
What the driver needs to know before the truck comes
Most failed pickups fail for the same reason: the truck showed up and couldn’t reach the car. Tell us these when we call and it won’t happen to you.
- Where exactly the car is. Street, alley, driveway, parking lot, garage. Give the nearest cross street, not only the house number. Chicago alleys don’t have addresses.
- Which way it faces. Nose to the street or nose to the garage wall changes how it gets hooked up.
- Whether it rolls. Can it be put in neutral? Is the parking brake stuck? Are the tires flat or missing?
- Keys. Have them or not. Either is fine. It only changes how the car is loaded.
- What’s around it. A neighbor’s car parked tight behind it, a fence, a low garage door, a tree branch, a gate someone has to unlock.
Street, alley or garage: how each pickup goes
On the street
The easy one. The truck pulls up alongside or in front, the car goes on, and you’re paid. The only snag is parking: on a packed block the driver may need to double-park for a few minutes. If your street has rush-hour or street-cleaning restrictions, tell us so we don’t arrive in the middle of them.
In the alley
A lot of South Side junk cars live behind the house, in the alley or on a pad by the garage. Alleys are narrow and some have poles or fences close on both sides. Tell us which end of the alley is easier to enter and whether anything (garbage carts, a parked car) usually blocks it. If the car sits on a pad at a right angle to the alley, say so.
In a garage
A car inside a garage is the hardest pickup, and it’s still usually doable. The car has to come out to the truck first. If it rolls and the doorway is wide enough, it gets pulled or pushed out. If it doesn’t roll, it may need to be winched out slowly. Measure the door if you can, and clear anything stored in front of the bumper. More on this in cars with no keys or flat tires.
In a lot, a shop or a shared driveway
Apartment and HOA lots are fine, and so are repair-shop lots, which is where a lot of cars end up after the repair quote comes back too high. Tell the shop or the manager a tow truck is coming. Apartment lots and shared driveways between two-flats come with other people’s cars. If a neighbor’s car blocks yours, ask them to move it before pickup time. If a building manager controls a gate, get them on board first.
What happens when the truck arrives
- The driver checks the car matches what you told us: year, make, model, and the condition you described.
- You show the paperwork that proves the car is yours. A title is best. No title? Tell us on the call which papers you’ve got. Illinois rules set which of them a scrap sale can use, and we’ll tell you where you stand.
- The car goes on the truck.
- You’re paid at pickup, the full amount we agreed.
Take your things out first, and pull the plates if they’re yours to keep. The checklist is in what to take out of your car before it’s junked.
What we tow
Cars that won’t start, cars that won’t roll, wrecked cars, old cars that sat for years, pickups and work vans. If it’s junk, wrecked or scrap and it’s in Chicago, send it through the form and we’ll tell you what we can do.