The insurer paid me and let me keep the car. Can I still sell it?

Usually, yes. Tell us what title you have now. If the insurer had a salvage certificate issued, say so on the call, because that's the document you'd sign over.

The car is still at the body shop or a tow yard. Can you get it there?

From a body shop, yes, once you've cleared any bill and told the shop. Cars in a police or private tow yard usually have to be released to the owner first, so check the yard's release rules before booking us.

Do airbags that went off lower the offer?

They can. Deployed airbags and a damaged frame make a car worth less as a rebuild, so it's priced closer to its parts and metal value.

Sell a wrecked or accident-damaged car

Can I sell a car that's been in an accident?

Yes. S & H Cash for Junk Cars Corp. buys wrecked cars from Markham and nearby south suburbs whether they still drive or not. The offer depends on the damage and what's still usable. We tow it at no charge and pay you on the spot in cash, Zelle or Cash App.

Call (773) 317-1211

Close view of a yellow car with a crushed front bumper and a broken headlight

A crash changes a car’s value in one afternoon. The bumper and headlight in the photo above might be a weekend repair, or the start of a frame problem that costs more than the car is worth. When the estimate comes back higher than you want to spend, the car becomes a sale.

How a wrecked car is priced

We look at the damage the way a parts buyer would:

Where it was hit. Front-end damage often reaches the radiator, engine mounts and airbags. A rear hit can leave the engine and transmission perfect.
Whether it drives. A wrecked car that still starts and rolls has working parts that add value.
Airbags and frame. Deployed airbags and a bent frame lower rebuild value.
What’s still good. Doors, glass, wheels, the engine and the transmission are all counted.

Describe the damage honestly on the call. The offer holds when the car matches the description.

After an insurance claim

Three situations come up often:

The insurer totals it and takes it. The car then belongs to the insurer, so there’s nothing for you to sell.
The insurer totals it and you keep it. You may end up holding a salvage certificate instead of a regular title. That’s still a document you can sign over in a sale, so tell us which one you have.
You never filed a claim. You still hold the regular title, and the sale works like any other.

If there’s still a loan on the car, the lender’s name is on the title. Our guide to selling a car with a loan in Illinois walks through the payoff and lien release, including the 21-day deadline lenders have under state law.

Getting the car out of a body shop

Many wrecked cars are sitting at a body shop when the owner decides to sell. Settle the shop’s bill (a teardown or storage charge is common), tell the shop someone is coming, and give us the shop’s address and hours. We can pick up from shops in Country Club Hills, Hazel Crest and the rest of the south suburbs we cover.

When a wreck is really scrap

If the damage is heavy (rollover, a fire after the crash, a car cut apart to get someone out), the car is priced as scrap. Fire and water damage have their own page: flood and fire damaged cars.

No title after the accident? The rules for Illinois are on our no-title guide.

Questions about this

The insurer paid me and let me keep the car. Can I still sell it?: Usually, yes. Tell us what title you have now. If the insurer had a salvage certificate issued, say so on the call, because that's the document you'd sign over.
The car is still at the body shop or a tow yard. Can you get it there?: From a body shop, yes, once you've cleared any bill and told the shop. Cars in a police or private tow yard usually have to be released to the owner first, so check the yard's release rules before booking us.
Do airbags that went off lower the offer?: They can. Deployed airbags and a damaged frame make a car worth less as a rebuild, so it's priced closer to its parts and metal value.