Like many of us, teenager Matt Perry worked his ass off at crappy jobs to buy his first truck— this beautiful 1965 Ford F-100. But the Wildwood, Missouri subdivision he lives in does not share our appreciation for pickups. In fact, they've made it a fineable offense to park them outside.
The Valley View subdivision of Wildwood, Missouri has had a rule on the books for "many years" that states pickup trucks can only be parked in a given driveway overnight four times a year.
Scott Thomas, a neighbor and member of the local homeowners association told Fox2 St. Louis on what I can only assume was a slow news day that Perry could get the rule changed if he collects 130 signatures from other residents. Apparently that's two thirds of the neighborhood.
Thomas has a pickup himself and parks it in a garage. Perry lives with his parents in a house with a garage as well, but it seems he doesn't want to displace his parents vehicles which already occupy the space.
The issue was brought before the trustees of the subdivision on February 27th, who amazingly voted to keep pickups off driveways.
I guess sharing a name with one of America's premiere 90's sitcom actors doesn't guarantee you an easy life after all. Actually... this little punk has a mint '65 F-100 as his first car, and his issue over where to park it in his tidy little neighborhood has garnered national media attention. Damnit, he does have a pretty good thing going.
To play the devil's advocate in favor of the neighbors, I guess I could see why a few hundred people should be allowed to set up a community with stupid rules like "no pickups outside" if they want to. But such things make it miserable for people like Perry who are born into these stifling communities and want to do stuff. Like park their pickup outside.
Apparently the trustees are all worked up because they reckon once they let Perry park his classic F-100 outside, all kinds of riffraff will start leaving trucks around and property values will plummet. Here's the letter from some angry residents, as provided to the River Front Times by Perry. They were kind enough to include pictures of trucks, in case you forgot what an eyesore they are:
Perry set up a Facebook page to garner support for his protest of the rule, which has a lot of steam at just under 4,000 likes. I'm sure the Fox News coverage gave him a nice boost there. There he said that while he could face fines of up to $25 per day, the trustees have chosen not to bill him yet. Not sure why they're just holding it over his head like that.
So, what's this kid's next move; Burn some donuts into his block? Convince his parents to concede an indoor parking space? Maybe head to Harbor Freight and get one of those FEMA-camp looking car tents for $200... I'm sure the homeowner's association would love that one.
Hat tip to Agri-Cover, Inc., Images: Save Matt's Truck Facebook Page