Can I sell a car my insurance company totaled?

If you kept the car after the insurance settlement, yes. If the insurer took ownership, it's theirs to sell, not yours. Check the settlement papers; they say which way it went.

The airbags went off. Does that matter?

Not for selling it to us. Deployed airbags are a big reason crash repairs cost more than the car is worth, which is why so many wrecked cars end up junked.

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

Yes, once you have arranged the release. Shops and yards may charge storage, and that's between you and them, so ask before the bill grows.

Does a salvage title change anything?

It can change the paperwork. Tell us what's printed on the title when you call, and read our guide to Illinois junking and salvage certificates.

Sell a wrecked or totaled car

Who buys wrecked cars on Chicago's West Side?

Cash For Junk Cars Westside Chicago LLC buys wrecked, crashed and totaled cars from Chicago's West Side and the near west suburbs. Deployed airbags, a bent frame or a car your insurer wrote off are all fine. We quote it by phone, tow it from the street, shop or lot for free and pay at pickup.

A silver sedan with a crushed hood and broken grille parked beside a curb.

After a crash, the car usually goes one of three ways: repaired, kept by the insurer, or sold for what it’s worth damaged. If you’re reading this, it’s probably the third one.

When a wrecked car is worth more sold than fixed

Repair estimates on crash damage climb fast. Airbags, sensors, a cracked windshield with cameras behind it, a bumper that hides a bent reinforcement bar. If the estimate is close to what the car was worth before the crash, most owners walk away from the repair, and so do insurers.

A rough way to think about it:

Situation	Usual outcome
Cosmetic damage, car drives	Repair or sell as is
Airbags deployed, front end crushed	Often totaled; sell as is
Frame or unibody bent	Repair rarely makes sense
Fire or flood after the crash	Sell as is

We don’t need the car to drive and we don’t need it cleaned up. We need to know what happened and where it is.

If your insurer totaled the car

Two things decide whether you can sell it to us:

Who owns it now. If you took the payout and handed over the title, the insurer owns the car. If you kept it (sometimes called retaining salvage), it’s yours to sell.
What the title says now. When an insurer pays a total-loss claim, Illinois requires a salvage certificate, and an owner can keep the car by agreement only in limited cases, such as a vehicle 9 model years old or older. Our guide to junking and salvage certificates has the details.

If you’re unsure which applies, read us the settlement letter on the phone. It usually answers both.

Getting it from the crash site, shop or tow yard

Wrecked cars rarely sit in front of the house. They end up at a body shop, a tow yard or the police pound. We can pick up from a shop or a private yard once you’ve cleared the release and paid whatever the yard says you owe. A car in the city’s pound has its own release rules; if the car was booted or towed by the city, start with our booted car guide.

Why offers on wrecked cars sometimes change

Damage hides. A crushed front end can mean a cracked engine block you can’t see. The way to keep the offer you were given is to describe the damage on the call, send a photo if you can, and tell us about anything missing. Our guide on why junk car offers change explains what moves a number and what shouldn’t.

For a car that’s past driving for other reasons, see non-running cars. For a wreck with paperwork trouble, see cars without a title.

Questions people ask

Can I sell a car my insurance company totaled?: If you kept the car after the insurance settlement, yes. If the insurer took ownership, it's theirs to sell, not yours. Check the settlement papers; they say which way it went.
The airbags went off. Does that matter?: Not for selling it to us. Deployed airbags are a big reason crash repairs cost more than the car is worth, which is why so many wrecked cars end up junked.
The car is at a body shop or tow yard. Can you get it there?: Yes, once you have arranged the release. Shops and yards may charge storage, and that's between you and them, so ask before the bill grows.
Does a salvage title change anything?: It can change the paperwork. Tell us what's printed on the title when you call, and read our guide to Illinois junking and salvage certificates.