I had the same thing happen to me. I have an old Jeep and it didn't run for a few years. I kept the registration and insurance currrent but I didn't put the sticker on the plate thinking I wasn't driving it so I didn't need it and it would just make it easy for somebody to steal the plate and use it.
I was living in an apartment complex and the manager left a note on the Jeep saying it had to have a current plate or it would be towed. People were always leaving notes on it wanting to buy it so this one time I didn't even bother to walk over and look at the note.
I came home from work and noticed the Jeep was gone. My first thought was it had been stolen. I called the manager's office and they explained what happened and they had it towed. By the time I got to the Jeep the impound and towing fees had climbed to $750.
I found a super nice old mechanic that let me have it towed to his shop and he let me keep it in the back for free for another year until I was ready to put some money into it and get it running again. I've still got the Jeep and it's my favorite thing to drive. It was a stupid costly mistake but I didn't let it get the best of me.
