Row-house logistics
Philly's a row-house city. South Philly, Fishtown, Kensington, Point Breeze, Grays Ferry — block after block of houses with no driveways and one parking spot per family if you're lucky. That changes how we pick up. The flatbed has to fit on a residential street between parked cars, work around alternate-side schedules, and sometimes coordinate with neighbors so we don't block the block. Manayunk and Chestnut Hill are easier (more driveways, wider streets); University City and Center City are tighter.
We schedule pickups on the side of the street that's clear that day. If your car is parked on a Tuesday/Friday side, we'll come on a non-cleaning day or right after the sweeper. You don't have to figure that out yourself — we ask at scheduling and pick the right window.
What we pay, and the salt-belt factor
Philly cars get a small body-condition discount versus Sun Belt cars because of road salt — PennDOT and the city salt heavily through winter. Brake lines, exhaust hangers, and undercarriage components corrode faster than equivalent Atlanta or Phoenix cars. By year 12 most Philly cars have meaningful undercarriage rust.
But the engine and transmission are unaffected, and Philly's truck-and-SUV-friendly market means a steady supply of older Tahoes, Explorers, and F-150s in our pickup queue. Those pay well. Sedans pay near national medians. Hybrids — increasingly common in University City and Center City — pay above the medians thanks to cat content. Cars with stolen catalytic converters land at the bottom of the range.