Garfield Boulevard down to the Belt Railway
West Englewood is boxed in by roads on two sides and by railroads on the other two. Garfield Boulevard is the north edge and Racine Avenue the east. On the west, the CSX and Norfolk Southern tracks form the boundary, and the Belt Railway of Chicago closes off the south. Old maps called this area South Lynne. Today Wikipedia names a few smaller pockets inside it, among them Drexel Estate, Murray Park and Hermitage Park.
Racine matters for one reason: cross it going east and you’re in Englewood, a different community area with a different ZIP. Chicagoans often lump the two together, and their histories overlap, but if your car is west of Racine, this is the page for you.
Vacant lots and cars that got left behind
West Englewood has lost more than half its people since its 1940 peak, falling from over 64,000 to below 30,000 by the 2020 census. The city tore down a large number of empty buildings over the years, and most of those cleared lots are still empty.
When a house empties out, a car can get left in the side yard or beside a garage nobody uses. If that car is yours, or you have the papers to sell it for the family, we’ll buy it as it is.
The city has its own process for cars left to rot. Chicago’s Streets and Sanitation abandoned vehicle page says a hazardous, dilapidated vehicle left in full view of the public can count as abandoned whether it’s on public or private property. Those get reported through 311 and towed. If it’s your car, you’re better off selling it to us before that happens. Our guide to a junk car on private property in Chicago goes through the details.
How we get there from Ashburn
The route is about 4.8 miles. From 79th and Pulaski the truck runs east on 79th Street for about a mile, bears left onto Columbus Avenue, follows it to Western Avenue, and heads north on Western. At 63rd Street it turns east and runs into the middle of the neighborhood. It’s a city-street drive with no expressway involved.
Before the driver heads out
Tell us where the car is sitting before the driver heads out. A car at the curb is the easiest. One in a driveway or a side yard is fine as long as the truck can get close enough, so mention any fence, gate or second car in the way. If the car is behind a building you don’t control, such as an apartment lot or a repair shop, get permission from whoever does control it first. Same-day pickup is often possible when the details are clear early in the day.
Spots people use to give directions
The Ashland/63rd station, where the Green Line’s Ashland branch ends, is the biggest landmark, and it has a large park-and-ride lot. Lindblom Math and Science Academy, the selective high school on Wolcott Avenue at 61st, is another. The Chicago Police Department’s 7th District headquarters is in West Englewood, and the neighborhood’s public library is on 63rd Street. Junction Grove Playlot Park keeps the name of the old railroad junction that the whole area once went by. Any of these works when you tell us where the car is.
What we buy and how you get paid
We buy cars, trucks, vans and SUVs that are wrecked, burned or flooded, stripped for parts or simply dead. Keys aren’t required. The tow is free, with nothing taken off the offer for it.
For the paperwork, tell us whether you have the title, a bill of sale, a registration card or an insurance card. Illinois sets the rules on which papers can be used to scrap a car, and we confirm what fits your case before booking. You’re paid at pickup, in cash or through Zelle or Cash App. To start, call or get an offer online.
Around West Englewood
East across Racine is Englewood. West over the tracks is Chicago Lawn, and up at the northwest corner the neighborhood touches Gage Park. Our service areas page lists the rest.
Map of West Englewood
West Englewood questions
Is West Englewood the same as Englewood?
No. They're separate Chicago community areas, and Racine Avenue is the line between them. West Englewood is the western one, mostly in ZIP 60636, while Englewood to the east is mostly 60621. We buy junk cars in both, so either name is fine when you call.
There's a junk car on a vacant lot next to my house. Can you take it?
Only with the owner's permission. We buy cars from the person who owns them and can show papers for them. If the car isn't yours and nobody claims it, the city's abandoned vehicle process through 311 is the route. If it is yours, call us and we'll arrange the pickup.
Do you pick up near the Ashland/63rd Green Line station?
Yes. That station, where the Green Line's Ashland branch ends, sits inside West Englewood, and our route from Ashburn comes in along 63rd Street right past it. Give us the street address, and say whether the car is in the street, a driveway or behind a garage.