[susim]

Hi all, I am ready to purchase promaster 136wb lowroof replacement of my old truck but I may have parking issue with a HOA, I had service truck with ladder rack with bed toolbox parked in driveway for 13yr and has no issue so far, is promaster only rated for commericial? can it be used as personal use and how many ton capacity is 1500 promaster?
Here is some of Hoa law
No owner, shall park, keep or store any behicle on any Lot! whitch is visible from any street in the Subdivision or any neighboring Lot other than a passenger vehicle or pick-up truck and then only if parking on the driveway for a -period not exceeding forty-eight (48) consecutive hours. For purposes of these restrictions, term "pick-up truck" is limited to a three-quarter (3/4) ton capacity pick-up truck which has not been adapted or modified for commericial use. No passenger vehicle or pickup truck owned or used by the resident of a lot shall be permitted to e parked overnight on any street in the
subdivision. Anybody had parking issue with hoa?

 

[alarmguy]

Hi all, I am ready to purchase promaster 136wb lowroof replacement of my old truck but I may have parking issue with a HOA, I had service truck with ladder rack with bed toolbox parked in driveway for 13yr and has no issue so far, is promaster only rated for commericial? can it be used as personal use and how many ton capacity is 1500 promaster?
Here is some of Hoa law
No owner, shall park, keep or store any behicle on any Lot! whitch is visible from any street in the Subdivision or any neighboring Lot other than a passenger vehicle or pick-up truck and then only if parking on the driveway for a -period not exceeding forty-eight (48) consecutive hours. For purposes of these restrictions, term "pick-up truck" is limited to a three-quarter (3/4) ton capacity pick-up truck which has not been adapted or modified for commericial use. No passenger vehicle or pickup truck owned or used by the resident of a lot shall be permitted to e parked overnight on any street in the
subdivision. Anybody had parking issue with hoa?

Get the "glazed" version and call it good.

 

[Ram3500']

Speaking about parking.

Just throwing the idea out their but how cool would it be to have a self-parking Promaster

I'll give it 10 more years before it happen haha

 

[keithwwalker]

I think you should be good either way with a PM 1500.
The 1500 is nominally a 3/4 capacity vehicle, or you could convince them that it is a passenger vehicle.

Either way, just don't get it in white, a darker color will blend in and not raise complaints - do you see any Sprinters in your development?

 

[Dwight]

Promaster rated commercial or not is not something RAM decides. Your state law determines what vehicles are registered commercial or not.

In state I live now it would register passenger. In my old state it would register commercial. In some states the choice is yours. Tax and license fee charged is sometime the only deciding factor

HOAs are a nightmare. They hold all the power. My attorney told me they can't be defeated.

Thinking about why your HOA wrote such strict rules, I assume they think work vehicles make your neighborhood trashy looking. You must have fancy house.

I say, don't put company logo on van. Get anything but white.

 

[carryon]

You should be fine. People don't really patrol these kind of laws anyways

Also depends if your neighbours complain which I doubt they will

I've seen Semis parked on driveways before with the back reversed into the garage

 

[Dwight]

I've seen Semis parked on driveways before with the back reversed into the garage

My experience says otherwise. You have to know the people running the HOA. When you get a hard ass bunch taking over the running of your HOA, it can go to **** fast.

They walk around my neighborhood writing people up. I had to hire a tree moving service to move 2 palm trees because they blocked the ocean view of my neighbor.

My lawyer read the HOA and told me to move the tree. I would loose in court.

There are A-holes in some of these HOAs.

 

[Brian P]

You should be fine. People don't really patrol these kind of laws anyways

Also depends if your neighbours complain which I doubt they will

That depends widely from one area to the next, and only you can judge.

Some such associations would only enforce such a thing on a "when complained about" basis, and if that is the case, it depends on whether you are good with your neighbors. Get side windows, get anything but white, don't put your company name on it ...

In other cases, they may have a vigilant member who has nothing better to do but cruise the neighborhood and look for infractions. If that's the case, it's going to depend on how your region defines a "passenger vehicle". As mentioned above, that's something to investigate with your local vehicle registration agency. If the license plates for a passenger vehicle are different in some way then all that vigilant member has to do, is cruise around and look for license plates of that type which are not on a "pickup truck".

Cruise around for yourself and see if you can find any vehicles with the same registration type as whatever you are going to get, and maybe talk to those owners to see if they have had any issues.

Around here, a van (doesn't matter full-size or mini) could be registered as "passenger" if it has back seats, or it could be registered as "truck" if it doesn't. Even Chrysler minivans can have the truck license plates, if they were bought as the cargo-van version. Same basic vehicle. Friend of mine has a Chevrolet Express full-size extended window van which is registered as passenger ... because it was originally built as a 15-passenger van (which would have required a truck license because it is a "bus") but he took the back seat out and only registered it with 12 passenger places ...

 

[keithwwalker]

If you have a business, purchase magnetic signs for the doors. Remove them when you are home. If you get trouble, get fake business signs - attach them to the whiner's car, photograph and send complaint to HOA. I hate the whole concept of HOA's...

 

[Dwight]

If you have a business, purchase magnetic signs for the doors. Remove them when you are home. If you get trouble, get fake business signs - attach them to the whiner's car, photograph and send complaint to HOA. I hate the whole concept of HOA's...

I like the way you think

 

[susim]

Thanks for all your inputs
I was going to buy the promaster without any thought (sense i had no issue with my current working truck for many years) But my wife insist making sure that i can park the van with no issue,
After reading HOA law and research now i am even more confused, my choice went from hi too low roof, put all the ladder inside and no sign maybe just small bussiness name, darker color may help too and windows. My neighbot is about mid-class, quite, nothing special, no conflict, I don't see any sprinter size van or truck with ladder on top but lots of truck, I can't park in garage because promaster is too tall even low roof, Should i just go for it or ask HOA? to be sure, I don't thing that's good idea theY probably say no if i tell the truth <TRUTH BUT NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH> Sense van is for bussiness use unless i lie, or SHOULD I DEVORCE MY WIFE?

 

[DennisV]

Thanks for all your inputs
I was going to buy the promaster without any thought (sense i had no issue with my current working truck for many years) But my wife insist making sure that i can park the van with no issue,
After reading HOA law and research now i am even more confused, my choice went from hi too low roof, put all the ladder inside and no sign maybe just small bussiness name, darker color may help too and windows. My neighbot is about mid-class, quite, nothing special, no conflict, I don't see any sprinter size van or truck with ladder on top but lots of truck, I can't park in garage because promaster is too tall even low roof, Should i just go for it or ask HOA? to be sure, I don't thing that's good idea theY probably say no if i tell the truth <TRUTH BUT NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH> Sense van is for bussiness use unless i lie, or SHOULD I DEVORCE MY WIFE?

Heck no !

You should buy that smart lovely bride of your's a nice new House !

(someplace with no HOA, preferably with a bass pond out back. And a shop building on the side. And a pool table in the basement.)

 

[Chance]

..... I can't park in garage because promaster is too tall even low roof, ......

I have similar concern with HOA. My extended Ford E-350 window van is parked on front driveway and hasn't been an issue, but I'm not as sure about a ProMaster with high roof, particularly if converted for camping/travel. Any PM might be ok, but I don't want such an expensive van parked outside where the weather can affect it anyway. So I'm considering changing my garage door from 16X7 to 16X8. That would allow a low-roof PM to fit even if equipped with pop-up roof. Not my first option but I'm seriously considering it.

Not all garage doors can be modified, but if it can, it may not be as expensive as it sounds.

 

[keithwwalker]

SHOULD I DEVORCE MY WIFE?

Yes & LIVE IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!

sorry, had to say it!

 

[Dwight]

Thanks for all your inputs
Should i just go for it or ask HOA? to be sure,

Even if they say YES, it doesn't mean yes forever. All it takes is one homeowner to go to the association and complain, and they have to notify you to remove it.

So no point in asking. My advice is consider the real intent of the rule. Not to make your neighborhood look like white trash. So just make sure your van looks more classy, than your neighbors pickup trucks. Less commercial looking, less camper looking.

To my eye that would be:
1) a nice color.
2) aluminum wheels, maybe.
3) never a business sign. Get a magnetic sign and apply before leaving for a job site. Remove when you come home.
4) never a ladder on the roof. ladder inside.

Another tip. A vendor from Charlotte NC recently told me, the hot new soccer mom vehicle in Charlotte, is tricked out MB Sprinters. Adding blacked out windows and wheels would make it a hot soccer mom vehicle.

 

[mlts22]

This isn't that relevant, but when I rented a Sprinter and parked at at a relative's place, the local association gave me a notice about work vehicles. I turned it around and replaced the rear badge with a Mercedes logo (takes two Torx screws), and a couple days later, the same person comes up and compliments me on my taste of vehicles... same van, except I had it in nose first, rather than backed in showing the Freightliner grille.

I wonder how the PM will be viewed with those kinds of people. Since it is a Dodge, it might not make the nosies happy that a neighbor doesn't have a high zoot car, but it isn't an eyesore either.

What I definitely would do is have custom wheels. Nothing extreme, but something good enough to make it not look like a commercial vehicle. I saw some for Ducatos at one shop for a fairly reasonable price ($100 each) that looked good enough.

 

[Jeff]

Hoa's are bull****. I don't have one in my sub. I park my lettered sprinter with ladder rack in my drive. I only had one incident over a holiday weekend coming back from a trip with my rv. Had it parked two days after the holiday to unload it and got a letter from the city to move it. Did I? **** no. It's my house, my driveway and I pay my taxes. It didn't even block the sidewalk. Matter o fact a cop that lives next street over leaves his rv out front full time. Fyi I don't live in a ghetto area either. I would never never never move to a sub with an hoa. My dream house is 5 acres minimum with a pole barn, pond and no bigger that a 3000 sq ft ranch.

 

[Dwight]

Thought I'd bring this topic back up again.

I am looking at buying a new home. I contacted the HOA president to see what he says before buying.

"One (van) is considered (legally) a cargo van. The other is classified as a Class B motorhome. As we have restrictions on motorhome parking we cannot be selective in it for legal reasons. However if you have the cargo version(s) then you are fine."

I read this as all will be good. Just don't do anything to my van that makes it look like a camper (awning, roof vent, AC unit on roof, etc). Otherwise someone could say it's Class B.

Does it say Class B on anyone's registration or insurance with just a plain van?

Anyone out there see it different or have different experiences with HOA?

 

[Ernie319]

Make sure they give you that in writing so they can't change their mind later...

 

[Chance]

....cut.....

Anyone out there see it different or have different experiences with HOA?

Dwight, I converted my van just as you describe above in order to get around the HOA "camper" designation. From outside it looks like a regular window van. I don't have an awning and the air conditioner is inside the van. The down side is that I don't claim it as a camper for insurance purposes. Maybe I could have but never bothered to ask. If my insurance company labeled the van a camper I would then pay less, but I don't pay that much anyway. What was important to me was being able to keep it at home so I can use it at any moment I want.