Questions and answers
What do people ask before selling a junk car to Gold Cash for Junk Cars?
Most questions are about three things: how the offer is set, how and when you're paid, and which papers Illinois accepts. Gold Cash for Junk Cars tows free from Calumet City and nearby towns and pays at pickup by cash, Zelle or Cash App. The answers below are short; the linked pages go deeper.
Offers and payment
- How do you decide what to offer?
- Mainly by the car's size and weight, how complete it is, whether it runs, the scrap market that week and the papers. We quote each car by phone instead of posting a price list.
- How will I be paid?
- You choose cash, Zelle or Cash App, and you are paid on the spot when the car is on the truck.
- Could the number drop when the driver shows up?
- Only if the car isn't what was described, for example if an engine said to be there is missing. An honest description keeps the number where it was.
- How long is your offer good for?
- It doesn't run out. The number we give you stays on the table, so take the time you need to decide.
- Do you charge for towing?
- No. The tow is included at no cost, and the amount you accept on the phone is the amount you are paid.
Papers
- Do I need a title to sell a junk car in Illinois?
- Illinois requires a scrap buyer to get documentary proof of ownership, such as a title, salvage certificate or junking certificate, and two IDs from a private seller. Tell us what papers you have and we confirm on the call whether they work.
- What happens to my license plates?
- Keep them. In Illinois, plates belong to the owner, not the car. Take them off before pickup and file the Seller's Report of Sale, form VSD 703.
- The car still has a loan on it. Can I sell it?
- Not until the lien is cleared, because the lender holds the title while the loan is open. Get an offer first, pay off the loan, then sell with the released title.
- How much is a duplicate Illinois title?
- The Illinois Secretary of State lists the duplicate title fee as $50, using form VSD 190.
Pickup
- How soon can you pick up?
- Same-day pickup is often possible. We agree on a time with you when you accept the offer.
- Can I drop the car off at Harding Ave?
- No, the address isn't a drop-off point. We come to you in our own tow truck and load the car where it sits, so you never have to move it.
- What are your hours?
- 24 hours, every day. Call or send the form whenever suits you.
- Do I need to be there?
- Usually yes, or someone you trust, because the title has to be signed over and you're paid at pickup.
- Do you buy motorcycles, RVs or box trucks?
- Yes. Besides cars, pickups, vans and SUVs, we buy motorcycles, RVs and campers, box trucks, semis and other commercial vehicles, and we arrange the right tow for each one.
- I lost the keys. Is that a problem?
- No. A key isn't proof of ownership; the title is. Tell us there's no key so the driver comes prepared for a car that's locked or stuck in park.
- I have two or three junk cars. Can you take them together?
- Yes. One pickup can clear several cars. Tell us about each car on the call so the offer covers all of them.
- Do you pick up in Indiana?
- No. We pick up in Calumet City and nearby Illinois towns and Chicago neighborhoods only.
- Can you take a car from an apartment lot or repair shop?
- Yes, with permission from the lot manager or the shop, and after any repair bill is settled.
More detail: selling without a title, plates and stickers after junking, cars with a lien and how free towing works.