Where junk campers sit up here
Not many RVs park on a Chicago side street for long, so a junk camper up here is more likely to be in one of the suburbs we cover: a travel trailer beside a garage in Morton Grove, a pop-up folded down behind a fence in Skokie, a Class C motorhome in a Glenview driveway that hasn’t left since the last family trip. Others sit in paid storage lots, where the monthly bill keeps coming whether the camper moves or not.
We buy them as they are: motorhomes (Class A, B and C), travel trailers, fifth wheels, toy haulers and pop-ups. Engine dead, roof leaking, interior stripped, tires flat. If you’d rather see the whole list of what we take first, it’s on the what we buy page, and the home page has the quote form.
What to have ready
The title. In our reading of 625 ILCS 5/3-101, every vehicle in Illinois needs an Illinois certificate of title unless section 3-102 excludes it, and that list names state vehicles, dealer stock, farm implements, special mobile equipment and a few other cases, not campers. So plan on signing a title over for a motorhome or a trailer, the same as a car.
Paperwork from another state, or no paperwork at all. Campers are bought and sold across state lines all the time. An out-of-state title is something we can work with; our guide to out-of-state, salvage and rebuilt titles explains why. A missing title is harder, and Illinois rules decide what replaces it, so tell us what you have before we book anything.
ID. Under 625 ILCS 5/5-401.3, a scrap buyer records two forms of ID from a private seller, one of them a driver’s license or state ID.
The questions that plan the tow
A camper is long, tall and often parked somewhere a tow truck didn’t plan to go. We arrange the right tow for it, and these answers decide what that is:
- What kind is it, and how long? A 17-foot pop-up and a 34-foot fifth wheel are different jobs.
- Does a trailer still have its hitch and safety chains, and do the wheels turn? A seized hub or a tongue jack rusted in the down position is common after years in one spot.
- How does it get out? Gate width, the turn off the driveway, low branches, overhead wires and soft ground after a wet spring all matter.
- For a motorhome, does it start, and is it in neutral or park? Dead is fine. We just need to know.
- Propane and the tanks. Shut the valves and tell us what’s on board.
Once that’s settled, the rest is the same as any pickup: you hand over the title and keys, take your plate, and get paid by cash, Zelle or Cash App while it’s loaded. The tow costs you nothing.
Sell it, or try a private sale?
A camper that’s road-ready, with a dry roof and working appliances, can be worth listing privately, and our comparison of junking, selling privately and trading in covers when that’s worth the effort. A camper with a soft floor, a long-dead engine or a mold smell inside rarely finds a private buyer who’ll pick it up. That’s the one to sell to us. Our offer doesn’t expire, so you can clear it out on your own schedule.