Not sure how I feel on this one - HOA bans Rivian owner from parking in his own drive

Don't move into the F-ing neighborhood if you don't like the rules. "I built my house at the end of a runway and am now angry because of the noise". The HOA's have rules set before you moved into any neighborhood, and anyone can look at them before buying their home. Live next to the guy with the lime green painted house and 30 cars parked on his front lawn if that's your style. I pay a lot of money and choose to move into a neighborhood where there is no parking on the street or in your driveway. Our neighborhood ALWAYS looked incredible. Landscapes of every property are perfect and when homes go on sale they last hours(for the last 25 years, not just the last three). Everyone hates HOA's right up the that point when their neighbor causes their house to devalue 30% and then their crying like a B.

 

The HOA rules in many "nice" neighborhoods are completely dumb. Especially with old rules like blanket ban on pickups. \

True story (stick with me here):

My wife (fiancé at the time) lived in a condo tower right on the water in central Florida. When it came time for us to move in together, I was renting and she owned...so it was no contest that I was moving in with her. 80% of the condo tower residents were retirees. My wife and I were definitely some of the youngest residents in our mid-30's.

The HOA had the same rule about trucks. Nevermind the plethora of mid-to-late 90's Pontiacs & Buicks & Lincolns, some of which hadn't been moved in years. You could tell that hadn't been moved in forever because the amount of salt buildup on the windshields.

Fast forward to another middle aged guy moving into the building and he owned a brand new F250 Platinum. Beautiful truck. He knew the rules when he bought. I had a couple of conversations with him about it. He thought that there was absolutely no way the HOA would call out his $80k truck over a beater Pontiac with peeling clearcoat. They did. Gave him a few "violation fines" and threatened to tow his truck. He ended up cutting a deal with an apartment complex across the street to "rent" a parking space from them.

I give the guy kudos for his creative solution. I think it sucks that he had to park across the street all because of a dumb rule. To be honest, let's all agree, that the truck ban rule is 100% about "appearances" and is based on old thinking. So if the rule is about maintaining a certain level of appearance for the community, I don't see how they can violate the expensive truck but allow the beaters to sit & collect dust.

Doesn't make sense to me. I'm just glad I owned my 4Runner at the time and it wasn't an issue for me. It did prevent me from buying a truck for a few years, but that's over now. Thankfully!

 

This is it. No commercial trucks is how the ones I have seen written. Commercial meaning anyone with signage.

 

I would argue if it were adorable the Rivian would be a better truck for 90% of truck owners. I mean, more often than not when I see a truck it’s hauling air. I would figure hauling lumber, engines, propane tanks, trash and towing stuff is a smaller percentage of truck ownership than you might think.

And interestingly, the rivian can do all that as well if not better than a lot of the trucks I see around town.

 

I'm not talking resale at all.

Your 2021 Pro cost about 70% of a Rivia R1. Rivian has virtually no maintenance costs and very low fuel/power costs. It's a very short amount of time before the Rivian is cheaper than the Tundra. The Rivian will outrace, outpull, and outcarry the Tundra. The electric motors will last virtually forever. The battery packs are rated for 10 years (well past the point that the R1 represents a net savings) but these types of batteries have proven to far outlast their rated lifespans.

There is still an argument that the Tundra is more convenient, can go further in a shorter period of time because refueling is so quick, etc. Still, the argument that the Rivian is not worth the cost fades quickly when you do the math. If you compare the R1 to a higher trim Tundra you are seeing a net savings in the second year, assuming you're driving 13500 (the average) miles per year. If you drive more than that, you realize that savings earlier.

 

If you want to move to a HOA neighborhood I suggest this one. The third responders are legendary.

 

So, here's a cost comparison of a 2023 Rivian R1T and a 2023 Tundra TRD Pro
Note that this is assuming all EV charging is done from a home charger at an average electricity cost. Both my wife and I get absolutely free charging at both of our employers.


Here is my data:

Cost of 2023 Tundra TRD Pro: $69420
1125 miles per month
18 MPG
62.5 gallons per month
Avg cost of low-grade fuel: $3.43
***Monthly fuel cost: $214.375


Cost of 2023 Rivian R1: $79800
Federal tax credit: $7500
Final OTD cost of R1: $72300
1125 miles per month
180 kWh battery
Full charge range of 314 miles (rounding to 290 for this exercise)
3.88 full charges per month
$.11 cents per kWh
***$76.82 dollars per month charging costs




You can see that at about the 21st month of ownership the Rivian starts to become less expensive to own than the Tundra. This isn't including maintenance items, but if we included those costs the cost convergence would shift to the left.

 

A Ham Radio operator had a wire antenna just inside the top of his wood fence. It wasn't visible unless you really hunted for it. One of the HOA snoops found it and sent a letter threatening a fine if it wasn't removed. He checked the HOA rules and there was nothing about old pickups, or vehicles with antennas. He removed the antenna and bought an old pickup that was mostly rust and bondo. He then borrowed every mobile antenna he could find and installed them on the truck. No radio, just antennas. He also boxed up all of his gear and put it in the garage. A week later, just as he anticipated, the county sheriff arrived following up on a radio interference complaint. The HOA board thought this was clever way to force him to get rid of the pickup. He showed the sheriff the truck with no radio, walked him through the house showing there were no radios there, either, and showed him the boxed up radios in the garage. The sheriff left. The same thing happened a week later, the week after that, and again on the fourth week. As the sheriff left after the fourth inspection, the homeowner laughingly said "I'll see you next week". The sheriff replied "No, you won't" and left. That week, each of the HOA board members that had called in the false reports received a letter letting them know that they would all face charges if another false report was called in. The board met and told him he could install one antenna at his home if he'd get rid of the pickup. He agreed. He said they probably didn't expect a 35 foot Gap Titan antenna, but that's what they got. He returned the mobile antennas, sold the truck, and continued his hobby.

 

Since there is no way this guy is using the 4.5ft bed of the Rivian for anything truck like, he should just trade it in for the Suv version and park in his driveway.

The cost savings for electric vehicles that cost 80k only works for for nearly as expensive trucks, like my 40k SR5 the Rivian batteries or chassis likely wouldn’t make it to the breakeven point. An electric vehicle for commuting that weighs sub 4k lbs and is 30-40k has a much better financial incentive while keeping a gas truck for truck things if needed.

 

Sure - but a $40k truck is nowhere near as nice as a Rivian either. I understand that this isn't what everyone is going for, but you have to do a comparable trim level comparison.

I should also say that I would not purchase an EV for myself because I want a car that can go for a few thousand miles with minimal stop time. I have a Tesla Model 3 but only because work pays for it. I have to admit that it's a blast to drive - but still wouldn't buy this with my own $$.

 

I haul a lot of engines. They aren’t very long, but I wouldn’t want it in my Subaru either.

Same deal with the weekly dump runs for work.

Also, that bed length is great for scuba gear and spear fishing. It’s great for a lot of stuff.

I’m just trying to point out that someone’s use case may not match yours and that doesn’t make it any less valid. No need to hate on someone for the size of their bed.

 

Oh for sure, I’d put the engines in my Subaru though.

Yeah there are some odd HOA homes around me which are on 10-20 acres but somehow have an HOA. Sometimes they are just for the private roads, but others are just like you say, super controlling. Blows my mind someone would buy 5+ acres then setup an HOA, that’s the whole point of 5+ acres is to not see or deal with people.

 

That’s a fine Subaru you have there. They have a cult following now, for divers especially.

 

It's really interesting comparing any if the entry level EVs with hybrid and ICE models too. They don't look too bad at all if you plan to keep a couple of years or more.

 

It really depends on your energy costs. In Hawaii the electricity is 38c a KW hour or if you’re on surge pricing for the navy 55c a kWh.

 

The range of any EV drops significantly with any real load or if towing. Why do you want a truck if you're not going to tow or carry loads?

 

Fun fact, the range in your Gas truck does the same thing.

 

True, but not as badly. Plus you can fully refuel your gas or diesel truck in a matter of a few minutes.

Not sure how long it’s been since you lived on the mainland US but an EV pickup is a nonstarter in many areas where distances traveled are high. The county I live in has more land area than all but the big island of your state of residence, and is over 40% the size of the big island. An EV pickup doesn’t work well here for doing any kind of work that isn’t around town.

 

Yes, but it takes me about 5 minutes to fill it up when it's empty, at gas stations that are at most 40-50 miles apart. And I get more than 100 miles to the "tank" when pulling.

EV's don't bother me one bit, but an EV pickup simply wouldn't work for me - at least not if I want to get home at the end of the day. I've run the numbers and they simply won't work for me where I live and what I do.

Also, what happens when your local municipality asks you to plug your EV in the outlet at your house so the grid can pull power from it? not cuz there was a natural disaster and you want to power your house (for all of 20 mins - ok, that's an exaggeration based on MANY variables), but because the grid is overwhelmed by the 5% increase in new EV's in the area is draining the grid...

As for HOA's.. ich. Just yuck. Neighborhood covenants, on the other hand, can be beneficial. They are upheld by each homeowner not lorded over by an individual like an HOA. Just my opinion. And experience. Luckily for me, there aren't a ton of HOA's around me - and the ones that do exists are usually fairly reasonable.

This thread reminds me of a guy that ran in to the same issue with his new F150 platinum years ago. I seem to recall him swapping the grill and emblems for a Lincoln Mark LT and calling it a luxury vehicle (which was more permissible for some reason). I don't remember how it worked out for him, but I swore I'd never buy in an HOA neighborhood. Either that, I'd cross out lines on the contract and see if they pick up on it. I've done that before on paperwork that I've signed and most of the time, those issuing the paperwork are as clueless about the changes as most people who sign it to begin with.

 

This is true EV trucks towing ranges are very lackluster and not even in my scope of future purchases.
On the topic of HOAs I learned to not live in an area where one exists. The cons outweigh the Pros almost always and for the price of HOA fees I can just hire people to do stuff like Lawn care etc.

 

Thanks to those who addressed this already. The range of EV's is relatively low in the first place. Dropping the range by another 50% when towing, coupled with the fact that it takes so much longer to recharge an EV than to fill up a gas tank, makes an EV totally impractical unless you're just one of those willing to inconvenience themselves greatly just to make a point.

Plus, what is the point of EV's? They are more expensive, have the slow charging problems when on a trip, and are actually more damaging to the environment that gas powered vehicles.

That said, I do like some of them and hope that battery tech can be progressed to the point that those are no longer issues.

 

Exactly - I’m all for developers who place restrictions on a deed - I/E - no multi tenant housing, no operating a business out of a home, limiting number of additional structures and size/usage - but that kind of stuff gets ridiculous. If I want to build a pool/fence or garage on my 6 acres - there should be no limits on my doing so because my neighbor says so (or wants a payoff for allowing me to do so) - as long as I’m not building it right on top of them - it’s my land - my choice.

HOAs can be useful for things like noise ordinances - obviously governments have them - but enforcing them is a whole other issue. Nothing like that one neighbor who feels 7a Sunday is the perfect time to start yard work with the noisiest leaf blower imaginable. Overall though - your at someone else’s mercy and just not a fan.

Another thing no one’s brought up - the assessments ! Bought out first (and last) condo a little over a decade ago - was ultra cheap - built in 70s and a nice little place. But the assessment- started out bad (prior administration had been undercharging/underfunded and was lax about collection) so they began anew with a couple hundred thousand negative among 60 units. Then the fact they were not doing a lot of routine maintenance started biting them in the ass as those bills went up. Finally though / we began to notice certain buildings were getting “upgrades” - started small cosmetics like landscaping then progressed to repaint, new roof, new exterior….but some units in worse shape got nothing. I’ll let you guess what units the HOA board lived in. By the time I left - a unit that started at $125 a month HOA was $485 (3.5 years later).

 

Ha!! Neighbors.

I don’t have HOA's and regulations, just MOA’s and reticles.

 

Lived once in a HOA planned community and will never do that again. Lived in an area with frequent power loss, so wanted to get a home standby genset system put in. My HOA decided that it wasn't allowed to do so. They cited me on all the normal bs rules, as in colors don't match the home, unsightly box in view of the street.

So in order to get it passed I decided to visit all the HOA board members homes to see what they had. Found one member that had a Ford Raptor parked on his driveway, no trucks allowed here. The other member was building a screened porch with colors not approved by the HOA committee and a genset in plain view of the street. With all the violations according to the HOA committee had told me, I went armed with my new source of photos to the next available meeting.

Interesting part, when it was my part to discuss my project the HOA president with a look of contempt had the nerve to tell me your back here again? Told him sure thing, and proceeded to show all the photos I took of the community. As board members houses started showing up in my slide presentation of all the infractions I had found. All of the sudden, these guys had a change of heart of what I could and couldn't do at the house. The worst of the bunch with the most infractions was of course the HOA president. I was so turned off by the elitest power trip that the board members had that staying here was no longer an option to live here. At this point of the game I was so pissed off with the community that I had my house under contract and was planning on moving.

Funny part one of the board member pointed out during the meeting that the HOA presidents' home had his covered porch built what look like to close to the property line. So as a parting gift, the president had to either pay fines or have his illegal porch torn down, (built on lot setbacks towards conservation property).

I get the HOA part of having to enforce a clean yard or so, but there's no limits how far these associations will go. No thanks, Ended up moving into a nice neighborhood after all.

 

I’ve priced out Rivians and I don’t come up with one under 100k which I think makes sense. It’s such an incredible vehicle that I would have to go R1S over R1T and then load it up. So 110 vs 60-70 for a loaded Tundra or 85 for a raptor?

anyway, on the HOA topic I’m on thin ice myself. Bought this place not really realizing we couldn’t park on the street overnight but sort of guessing we shouldn’t be doing that. Didn’t realize the driveway was as steep as it is, hard to tell on Google maps. It’s 0.59 freaking acres but we can’t touch more than half of that since it’s protected wetlands. City has front setbacks of 25’ and side of 10’. I’m getting some comments of “used car lot” from others. I park the tundra on the grass for now to keep it off the street and I try to rake the mud pit to avoid showing tire marks. I need a slab but kitchen remodel is the priority. Hoping for some wood chips and an end of the rain. Can’t park my 2wd on the grass because it destroys it. Garage was chock full of cabinets for months, now it’s mostly the contractor’s workspace.

I’m feeling pretty squeezed on this one.