The fees are: $75 for the tow, $10 per day for the first 7 days (including Sat+Sun), after 7 days they go to $15 per day, after 30 days they're $25 a day.
Doesn't sound like the car is worth the fees. Sign it over to the tow company, get your plates back. They WILL NOT give you the plates (nor do they have to ) if they think you're going to abandon the car at their yard. If the car is a real POS, they're not going to want it and you'll be stuck paying the charges.
Be smart, claiming the plates are stolen WILL get you arrested. You've posted on a public forum, how many Wranglers do you think were hooked in the last ten days?? It would take all of two minutes to track you down. There are more than a couple of NC PD members that read this forum.
Suck it up, pay (or have bro pay) the charges. It's cheaper in the long run.