What happens when your junk car is picked up

What happens when a junk car is picked up?

A junk car pickup follows the same order every time:

1. The driver arrives and confirms the car and where it’s parked.
2. The driver checks that the car matches what you described on the call.
3. The driver looks at the title, or the papers agreed on the call, and your photo ID.
4. You’re paid.
5. You sign the title over and hand over the keys.
6. The car is loaded and towed away.

That list is the whole visit. It’s short because most of the work happened earlier, on the call, when you told us the year, make and model, whether you have the title, and where the car sits. This page is one stop on how the pickup day runs. Below, each step at the curb, with the thing that most often slows it down.

1. The driver finds the car

The driver pulls up at the spot you gave us and confirms it’s the right car. On a street with ten parked cars, that’s why we ask for the side of the street, the nearest cross street, and the color.

What slows it down: an address that’s really the building, when the car is two blocks away in a relative’s alley. Give us the car’s location, not the owner’s.

2. The car is checked against the description

Nothing complicated. The driver makes sure the car is the year, make and model you told us, and that nothing big is missing that you didn’t mention: the engine, the transmission, wheels, the catalytic converter.

What slows it down: a surprise. If the car doesn’t match, the driver will explain what’s different and whether it changes the offer. You’re free to say no at that point. The simple way to avoid it is to be upfront on the call. A missing battery we knew about changes nothing.

3. The paperwork and your ID

The driver looks at the title (or, if there’s no title, the papers we agreed on when we called) and at a photo ID. The name on the ID should match the name on the paperwork.

What slows it down: the titled owner isn’t there, or the title is in a different name than expected. If someone else is handing over the car for you, read how to set that up before the day.

4. You’re paid

You’re paid at pickup, before the car leaves. How the payment step works, and what to settle before the truck comes, is in how you get paid for a junk car.

What slows it down: a payment choice nobody mentioned. Say on the call which payment you’d like (the options are in how you get paid), so there’s nothing to sort out at the curb.

5. You sign the title over

Once you’ve been paid, you sign the title over and hand over the keys if you have them. Don’t sign first and get paid later. That’s true with any buyer, not only us.

What slows it down: a title that’s been misplaced since the call. Put it with the keys the night before.

6. The car is loaded and leaves

The driver loads the car and it’s gone. Take a last look inside before it goes: glove box, trunk, under the seats, the visor. Garage door openers and parking permits are easy to forget.

How long does it take?

We won’t put a number of minutes on it, because it depends on where the car sits. A car at the curb on a quiet street is quick. A car wedged into an alley garage takes longer to get out. What we can tell you is that the paperwork part is short when everything’s ready.

After the truck leaves

The car is sold, but there’s one loose end. Tell the Illinois Secretary of State you no longer own the vehicle. The Illinois Air Team FAQ points to the Seller’s Report of Sale form for this, and it’s what stops emissions test notices for a car that isn’t yours anymore.

Ready to start? Send the car’s details from the same-day cash for junk cars page, and we’ll call within 15 minutes.