Quote Quoting Can'tTouchThis
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So... I was figuring that if I can't prove that I didn't own the car back then (the tow truck driver taking it away told me they would handle things with the DMV and all I had to do was sign his receipt), perhaps I can at least get this ridiculous collection charge lowered to the original toll amount.
If this is regarding a Fasttrack toll amount, then you had the opportunity to do just that by opening a Fasttrack account and simply paying the $1 (or less) of unpaid tolls at the time. Failing to respond to the original mailed citation in a timely manner means that such offer will expire with the expiration of the notice due date. While you claim to not having received such notice, the typical reason for that is simply because you failed to maintain a current mailing address with ther DMV and so any notice that was mailed never got to you not because they opted to have it go somewhere else, but more likely because they did not have your current address!

Quote Quoting Can'tTouchThis
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I once had a credit card company tell me ....
This is not a credit card company... This is Caltrans which can by law notify the DMV of your delinquency and the DMV can then place a hold on any vehicle registration that you currently own or might own in the future until this amount is fully paid. They can also tap into you State tax refund if you ever file for taxes and expect a refund. In other words, you can pay voluntarily or they will find a way to squeeze the money out of you.

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Quote Quoting Can'tTouchThis
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The car in question was sold for scrap (I assume it became scrap because it was too expensive for me to repair it) a couple of years ago.
The law requires that you turn in your license plates and registration card to the DMV prior to you selling the car for scrap:

CVC 5500

(a) Any person, other than a licensed dismantler, desiring to disassemble a vehicle of a type required to be registered under this code, either partially or totally, with the intent to use as parts only, to reduce to scrap, or to construct another vehicle shall deliver to the department the certificate of ownership, the registration card, and the license plates last issued to the vehicle before dismantling may begin.

(b) Any person who is convicted of violating subdivision (a) shall be punished upon a first conviction by imprisonment in the county jail for not less than five days or more than six months, or by a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50) or more than five hundred dollars ($500), or by both that fine and imprisonment; and, upon a second or any subsequent conviction, by imprisonment in the county jail for not less than 30 days or more than one year, or by a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) or more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment.