University Park was developed in the 1960s as Wood Hill, became Park Forest South, and was later renamed. Governors State University was founded here in 1969, and the village grew from 1,748 people in 1970 to 7,145 at the 2020 census. It’s the end of the line for the Metra Electric, and we buy junk cars in University Park on the same terms as everywhere else we work: no charge for the tow, and payment when the car is loaded.
Chapter 430 in plain words
Section 430-01 defines two kinds of problem car. An abandoned vehicle is one left unused or unmoved for seven days or more and apparently deserted, or one with no current registration sticker or plate. An inoperable vehicle is one whose engine, wheels or other parts have been removed or altered for at least seven days so it can’t run; repairs lasting six days or less don’t count. Section 430-02 makes either kind a nuisance when it’s in public view, on public or private property. A car kept inside a building, an operable historic vehicle over 25 years old and a wrecking or junk business are exempt.
Under Section 430-04, police may tow a car abandoned on a highway for 10 hours or more. On private property, written notice from police or code enforcement means the car has to be disposed of immediately. Selling it to Junk My Car Inc takes care of that, and the tow costs you nothing.
Hydrants, parking bays and snow
The overnight rule here is unusual. Section 440-09 bans parking from 2 to 6 a.m. on the side of any street where a fire hydrant stands within 1,000 feet, while designated parking bays stay open overnight. A dead car in a bay may be legally parked, but it’s still in public view, so Chapter 430 still applies.
After a snowfall of 2 inches or more, Section 440-065 bans parking on all village streets until removal is done, and police may tow and impound at the owner’s cost. Off the street, Section 440-10 allows parking only on an approved space: no grass, dirt, gravel, parkway or sidewalk. And Section 440-01 rules out repairing a car on the roadway, emergencies aside.
Townhouses, mobile homes and Metra lots
University Park’s housing is more mixed than most towns on our list. Of its homes, 47.7 percent are detached houses, 22 percent are attached single-family homes such as townhouses, about a quarter are in buildings with two or more units, and 4.3 percent are mobile homes (ACS 2020 to 2024). So the car is often in a shared lot or court rather than a private driveway. For any of those, check with the association, landlord or park manager, then send us the car’s details with the space number.
If the car gave out at the train, tell us which village Metra lot it’s in. The lots sit east and west of Governors Highway, north of University Parkway.
Getting here, and the towns to the north
I-57 reaches the village at exit 337, Stuenkel Road and University Parkway, the route to Governors State. Governors Highway (Route 50) runs through University Park and curves north into Richton Park, where it becomes Cicero Avenue. Park Forest borders the village to the northeast, and we buy junk cars in Park Forest as well as further north in Flossmoor and Homewood, and northeast in Glenwood. Our areas page covers everywhere else we buy.
Wondering what happens to the car after it leaves? Here are 12 scrap car parts that get recycled and reused.