Three businesses with overlapping names
Search for “junkyard Blue Island” or “junkyard Riverdale” and you’ll find a mix of very different businesses. They overlap, and the names are used loosely, but they do different jobs:
| Scrap yard | Junkyard / salvage yard | Junk car removal service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it mainly does | Buys and processes metal | Stores vehicles, may sell used parts | Buys junk cars and tows them away |
| Who moves the car | You bring it in | Usually you bring it in | The buyer tows it |
| Towing cost | Yours | Yours, unless they offer a tow | Free with us |
| Car must be drivable? | Or hauled on a trailer | Or hauled on a trailer | No |
| How you’re paid | At the yard | At the yard | At your door |
The last column is us. H&H Cash for Junk Cars Chicago is a buyer that tows. We’re based at 13720 S Lowe Ave in Riverdale, and we come to the car.
When a yard makes sense
A yard can be the right call if:
- you can drive the car there safely and legally,
- you already own a truck and trailer, or have a friend who does,
- you want to sell some parts yourself first and then scrap what’s left.
If that’s you, call the yard first and ask what they need from you: many want a title and ID, and some take only certain vehicles.
When removal makes sense
For most junk cars, removal is simpler, because most junk cars can’t be driven. Removal makes sense if:
- the car doesn’t start or doesn’t roll,
- it’s in a garage, back yard, alley or apartment lot,
- the plates or registration have expired, so driving it would be illegal,
- you’ve got a village notice and a deadline,
- you don’t want to pay for a tow.
Driving an unregistered car on the road isn’t an option, and several villages around here also count a car with no valid registration as inoperable. Blue Island’s code, for example, defines an inoperable vehicle as one that can’t be driven on public streets for 7 days for any reason, including missing registration. See Blue Island.
The costs a yard trip hides
The yard’s price is for the car delivered. Getting it there has costs of its own:
- A tow or a trailer rental, unless you own one.
- Your time, usually a few hours with loading and the drive.
- The risk, if the car is barely holding together.
With removal, the tow is part of the deal. Our guide to whether junk car removal is really free explains what to ask so a “free tow” doesn’t quietly come out of your offer.
Vehicles this covers
We buy whole cars, trucks, vans and SUVs: running, dead, wrecked, stripped, burned or flooded. See scrap car removal for the roughest ones.
Yard or tow, the title rules match
Whoever you sell to, you’ll need to show you own the car. With a title, you sign it over. Without one, the rules on which papers work for a scrap sale come from the state, not from the buyer. With us, you tell us what papers you have and we confirm on the call whether they’ll work, before the truck comes.
Ready to book
We pick up from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., every day, in our home village of Riverdale and the towns around it. A same-day pickup is often possible; see same-day junk car removal.