What the driver checks
When the tow truck arrives, the driver isn't there to renegotiate. The job is to confirm the car is the one we made the offer on. That comes down to a short list:
- The title matches you. The name on the title (or on the papers agreed on the call if there's no title) should match the ID of the person handing the car over.
- The VIN matches the paperwork. The vehicle identification number on the dashboard or door frame should be the one on the title.
- The car is complete. Engine, transmission, catalytic converter and all four wheels, if that's what you said.
- The condition is as described. If you said it runs, it should start. If you said the glass was intact, it should be.
That's all. If those four match, the offer you accepted on the phone is what you're paid, at pickup.
Missing parts: the most common surprise
Cars that have been sitting for a while sometimes lose things. A relative borrowed the battery. Someone took the wheels for another car. The catalytic converter was stolen from the street one night and nobody noticed.
Each of those parts is value in the offer. When one is gone and the driver finds out on the day, the number has to move. When you tell us before we make the offer, the number already accounts for it and nothing changes at pickup. Same car, same money, no argument.
So before you send the form, walk round the car. Look underneath for the catalytic converter if you can. Pop the hood.
"It ran when I parked it"
This one catches out honest people. A car that ran two years ago and hasn't been started since may not run now. Batteries die, fuel goes stale, brakes seize.
Say what you actually know: "It ran when I parked it in spring 2024, I haven't tried since." That's a perfectly good description, and the offer will be built on it. What causes trouble is "it runs" when it hasn't been tried.
Title and paperwork surprises
Paperwork changes at pickup usually come from one of three situations:
- The title is in someone else's name (a parent, an ex-partner, a previous owner who never transferred it).
- The title was lost and the seller planned to find it by pickup day, but didn't.
- The VIN on the car doesn't match the one on the paperwork.
No title? We can still help. Tell us what papers you have (bill of sale, registration, insurance card). Illinois rules decide which papers work for a scrap sale, and we'll confirm on the call. What we need is to know which situation you're in before the truck arrives, so the handover isn't the moment you find out.
Where the car is
A car that was "in the driveway" but is actually in a garage behind a locked gate, or a car on a street where the truck can't stop, can turn a ten-minute pickup into a return trip. On Chicago's North Side that often means alley garages, building lots and busy avenues. Tell us exactly where the car is and whether it rolls.
How to describe your car so the number holds
A checklist you can read out on the call:
- Year, make, model, and the title answer from the form.
- Does it start? When did it last run?
- Is anything missing: battery, wheels, catalytic converter, engine or transmission parts?
- Any damage: collision, hail, fire, water inside?
- Where it is: street, driveway, garage, lot. Does it roll?
- Whose name is on the paperwork?
For hail specifically, we go further in how to describe the hail damage so the number holds.
If you're offered less at pickup
You're not obliged to accept. A lower number should always come with a specific reason you can see: a missing part, a VIN that doesn't match. If you're not given one, decline. Before you accept any offer, it's worth knowing the questions to ask before you accept, and it helps to understand the full process from form to payment.
When you're ready, get an instant cash offer or go straight to the offer form.