[mswscco]

So I'm in California and bought a car from a dealer in Georgia. It had just under 7,500 miles so would be considered "new" for my state. DMV is assessing about $550 worth of penalties to register the car and I wanted to know if anyone here knew whether this was legit. To me, a penalty is assessed when I know what to do but don't do it. So is this a penalty that should not apply? Or is this actually a normal "fee" that my state calls a penalty just because, well, it's California? Of course I could call the DMV, but I'm sure nobody here would fault me for trusting an internet forum more than a DMV customer service rep.