The Wall Street Journal looks at re-purposed meter-maid vehicles:
When Rahsaan Morin pulls up to the curb, people often run out of nearby stores at the very sight of him. They “start feeding the meter,” says Mr. Morin.
It’s easy to see why: He drives one of those three-wheeled vehicles commonly associated with the parking police.
He bought his first three-wheeler, a former San Francisco parking patroller, for $1,600 from a friend in Oakland. He found another on Craigslist for $2,000 and tricked it out with a stereo and roof rack for his surfboard. He uses it to make deliveries for the catering company he owns.
The shock value is part of the allure of owning a meter-maid vehicle, as people call the tricycles. A fringe of motorists across the U.S. are ditching cars for retired three-wheeled utility vehicles. They troll websites and government auctions to find used models that they can get for between $500 and $7,000, depending on model, condition and upgrades.
