Help!! How to live in a "neighborhood" and keep your "Special Interest Vehicles" (long)

From: Jumpmaster (the_real_jumpmaster@yahoo.com)
Date: Sat Sep 13 2003 - 12:31:37 PDT


Howdy, folks...

I'd posted a problem similar to this to the list a
couple of years ago. I've moved since then (same
town, different area) and am now being harassed by the
city again.

The problem appears to be with problematic
(politically correct) neighbors. The set that live
across from my house are flaming liberals and would
appear to have some degree of contempt for my M1009.
They also do not like my '68 Mustang.

The code enforcement half-wits sent me letters about
my vehicles. I called them and they explained that
these "neighbors" said that I'd towed them here. The
only one towed here was the Mustang because it was not
registered/insured and therefore would have been
illegal to drive here. The CUCV was driven here and
probably has enough power to pull their tiny little
house off its foundation. The code enforcement idiot
didn't seem concerned with the CUCV but stated that
the Mustang falls into the "Antique Vehicle" category
this year. Woohoo...

The city considers vehicles over 35 years old as
"antique vehicles" where the state considers them
antique at 25 years. He's telling me that since it's
an "Antique Vehicle" now, that it must be continually
screened from view regardless of operating condition,
inspection or registration. I read the law and that
just doesn't make sense. The way I read it, you could
have a '74 Pacer with crappy paint job parked on your
driveway (unscreened) as long as it's registered and
operable BUT a '68 Mustang IN ANY CONDITION must be
screened from view (in the garage, behind a fence,
etc.) What would the advantage be of having your car
considered an "Antique Vehicle" when you could just
have it operational and let it remain parked on your
driveway? I don't get it.

I asked about a car cover and he said that wasn't good
enough. The car runs and drives and is otherwise
fully operational. Same with the CUCV. I thought
about getting Antique Vehicle plates for the Mustang,
but that statute reads like it would still have to
"screened from ordinary public view."

Any ideas? Anyone else live in Texas and have these
problems? I read in Deja where this new law had been
considered a victory for antique vehicle enthusiasts
because you only had to have inoperable vehicles
screened from view. The way I read the statutes, it
doesn't say that.
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/tr/tr0068300.html#tr021.683.071
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/tr/tr0068300.html#tr028.683.077

Sorry this is so long...people like this just make me
want to move out to West Texas where your nearest
neighbor would be about 30 miles away or more.

And please don't tell me to just park it in the
garage. If I'd planned on doing that, I wouldn't have
asked for guidance here. :-) I would really like to
get an M35 or M109 and sit that squarely in the
driveway, but I'm sure they'd find something to harass
me about that too.

If anyone can make sense of any of this, please e-mail
me directly. It may be able to help others on the
list later, but I don't want to risk tying up the list
with this.

T. Bloxom
1985 M1009 CUCV and 1968 Mustang "Special Interest Vehicles"

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