Cash for Cars Across Chicagoland
City Auto Wreckers pays cash for cars throughout the western Chicago suburbs, running or not, damaged or sound, a daily driver you have outgrown or something that has not moved since last winter. We are a family-owned salvage yard and licensed auto recycler in Aurora, and we have been buying vehicles from Illinois drivers since 1981. Call (630) 898-2900 for a firm figure, free towing, and payment when the truck arrives.
How cash for cars works
Four steps, usually finished inside a day or two.
Call us on (630) 898-2900 with the year, make, model and a short description of the condition. Get your figure, a firm number in a few minutes, not an online estimate that shifts later. Book a collection Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 5:00pm; most are same-day or next day. Get paid when the driver arrives, before the vehicle is loaded, with towing included.
What your car is worth
We do not publish a flat rate, and you should be wary of anyone who does. Scrap steel is priced per ton and moves week to week, and two cars of the same year and model can be worth very different amounts depending on what is still attached. Four things set the figure.
- The floor of any offer is the shell’s value as steel, so a full-size pickup or SUV starts higher than a compact.
- Resalable components. If the engine, transmission, alternator or body panels can be graded and resold, the vehicle is worth well more than its scrap weight, because we sell those parts rather than crushing them. This is why a running car usually brings more than a seized one.
- The catalytic converter. An intact factory converter is typically the highest-value single component on the car.
- Missing wheels, a striped interior, fire or flood damage, or a vehicle that will not roll all affect the number. Tell us up front and what we quote is what you are paid.
What we buy
Cars, trucks, vans, SUVs and light commercial vehicles. Running vehicles, non-runners, accident-damaged and insurer-totaled cars, flood-damaged vehicles, emissions failures, classics, abandoned projects and vehicles already stripped for parts. Missing keys are not a problem.
We buy plenty of cars that still drive. If you are weighing an expensive repair against selling, describe the fault when you call, we would rather tell you the repair is worth doing than take a car you should have kept.
Where we buy cars
We collect across five counties from our Aurora yard, and towing is free throughout.
Kane County — Aurora, North Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, Elgin, Sugar Grove, Elburn, Campton Hills and Maple Park.
DuPage County — Naperville, Wheaton, Darien, West Chicago, Downers Grove, Lisle, Woodridge, Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Elmhurst, Addison, Carol Stream, Glendale Heights, Bloomingdale, Roselle, Winfield, Warrenville and Bartlett.
Kendall County — Oswego, Yorkville and Montgomery.
Will County — Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Romeoville and Joliet.
DeKalb County — DeKalb, Cortland, Hinckley and Big Rock.
Not on the list? Call anyway. We will tell you honestly whether we can reach you rather than sending a truck that turns around.
Illinois title and paperwork
Illinois requires a Certificate of Title, free of liens, to transfer a vehicle to a licensed recycler. You sign the Assignment of Title section on the back; we file the state’s Junk Vehicle Notification with the Secretary of State.
If the title is lost, file Form VSD 190 with the Illinois Secretary of State and pay the $50 duplicate fee, three to four weeks by mail, or same-day at some full-service facilities. We will hold your quote while you wait. Before collection, remove your plates, which stay with you in Illinois and can be transferred or surrendered to the SOS, and have photo ID ready. Vehicles under ten years old need an odometer disclosure, and any recorded lien needs the lender’s release letter.
Why sell your car to City Auto Wreckers
We have run the same Aurora facility since 1981, which is longer than most of the operations advertising cash for cars in this area have existed. We are the buyer, the tow and the recycling facility, not a lead broker passing your details to whoever is nearest, which is why the number quoted on the phone is the number you are handed.
The Automotive Recyclers Association has certified us as a Certified Automotive Recycler and awarded us Gold Seal certification. The CAR audit covers stormwater pollution prevention, hazardous materials handling and mercury switch recovery, verified through written and photographic documentation. In practice it means the fluids and refrigerants in your car are captured properly rather than ending up in the ground.
Frequently asked questions
Both. A running car in poor cosmetic condition, a vehicle that failed emissions, a car with a repair bill larger than its value, and a vehicle that has not started in years are all things we buy. Running vehicles often bring more, because more of the drivetrain can be graded and resold rather than scrapped. If you are weighing a repair against selling, tell us the fault on the phone and we will be straight with you about which makes more sense.
Four things set the figure: the weight of the vehicle, since scrap steel is priced per ton and moves week to week; which components can be resold rather than crushed; whether the factory catalytic converter is still fitted; and how complete the vehicle is. We do not publish a flat rate because two identical cars can be worth very different amounts. Call with the year, make and model and you will get a firm number in a few minutes rather than an online estimate that changes when the truck arrives.
Yes. Illinois requires a Certificate of Title, free of liens, to transfer a vehicle to a licensed recycler, and any buyer telling you otherwise is worth avoiding. If the title is lost, file Form VSD 190 with the Illinois Secretary of State and pay the $50 duplicate fee, allow three to four weeks by mail, or ask about same-day service at a full-service facility. We will hold your quote while the paperwork clears.
We collect across Kane, DuPage, Kendall, Will and DeKalb counties from our yard at 690 McClure Rd in Aurora, covering Naperville, Elgin, Wheaton, Geneva, Batavia, St. Charles, West Chicago, Oswego, Darien, Plainfield, Joliet and the surrounding communities. Towing is free and nothing is deducted from your payment for it. If you are outside that area, call anyway — we will tell you honestly whether we can reach you.
You are paid when the driver collects the vehicle before it is loaded, not by cheque in the post a week later. The figure quoted on the phone is the figure you receive, provided the car matches your description. Collections run Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 5:00pm, and most are arranged for the same day or the next business day depending on how our trucks are routed.
Get cash for your car today
Call (630) 898-2900 Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm, or send the details through our contact page. Have the year, make, model and a short description of the condition ready, the call takes about five minutes, and you will have a firm figure before you hang up.