Was I Taken For A Ride?

[Long Time Ford Guy]

Hate when the salesperson says that... slimey. Just about as bad as when the finance guy starts copping an attitude because you didn't want to buy an extended warranty LOL

DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THAT A-HOLE! He KNEW I wasn't going for it so he read through the documents like he was holding in a four day piss!

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[matmondro]

Little is better than none! Thanks. I believe the dark, bold bottom line sticker price total was $29, 900 (or $29,500). But just to clarify: The sticker did NOT say $31,500. It said $29,500. You are confirming if THAT was the price on the sticker, the total would've been $31,500 with those extra fees?

You should have gotten some other documentation, kind of like a receipt or invoice, when you purchased the truck. This would not be the window sticker. It will however show the sticker price from the actual sticker, then taxes and the other fees. If the number at the bottom of that, like the grand total, is $29500 or $29900, then I'd say you did alright!

 

[Long Time Ford Guy]

You should have gotten some other documentation, kind of like a receipt or invoice, when you purchased the truck. This would not be the window sticker. It will however show the sticker price from the actual sticker, then taxes and the other fees. If the number at the bottom of that, like the grand total, is $29500 or $29900, then I'd say you did alright!

 

[Long Time Ford Guy]

I will take a look when I get home! I have all of that. Stay tuned. I appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me. If this truck lasts, I will be keeping it for a long time, if only to avoid having to breathe the same air as car salesman.

 

[710-oil-614]

Yeah I would say you got a truck. Neither a good deal or bamboozled.

Enjoy!

 

[Cherokee]

I appreciate your candor. I usually keep cars ten years or more (my 2010 Toyota Rav 4 Sport runs like it just drove off the new car lot! Fit, finish and steering still tight as a drum! Paint is in bad shape but the engine and drive train handle brand new! Then again, I serviced the thing every 5K miles!). As for my new Maverick, well, I didn't need a new car since my 2020 Dodge Ram Warlock (6 cyl, 41,800k miles) looked and drove just fine. However, the better gas mileage with a four cylinder engine beckoned me like the Sirens in Greek mythology so I bought the Maverick. You know, with the exception of the computer powered auto features, I love the way this thing drives and handles. If I don't pay attention, the speedometer sneaks up past 75!

Yep, that’s the Ecoboost.
FWIW mine likes 85 mph the best :’P

 

[mapnerd]

Seems average, maybe slightly above but I wouldn't say you got hosed.

 

[Long Time Ford Guy]

You should have gotten some other documentation, kind of like a receipt or invoice, when you purchased the truck. This would not be the window sticker. It will however show the sticker price from the actual sticker, then taxes and the other fees. If the number at the bottom of that, like the grand total, is $29500 or $29900, then I'd say you did alright!

Total MSRP: $29,780 (indicates special order below)
Invoice/sales receipt says this:
Cash Price of vehicle: $29,803 ($23 more than sticker? Ok, I'll go along...)
Pre-owned allowance (my truck trade in I guess) $23,980.94
Net difference: $5,822.06
Admin fee: $399
Electronic registration filing fee: $249
Lead acid battery fee: $1.50
Florida new tire fee: $5.00
Subtotal: $6,476.56
Sales tax: $438.59
Florida title/registration/tag fees: $84.85
Subtotal: $7,000 (again, why are they subtotaling this?)
Rebate: $1,000
Balance due on delivery: $6,000 (this was the cash I put down)

And that is all that's printed on the invoice. No grand total.

So, I guess I did kinda get a minor deal here. If I understand this correctly...

Car costs $29,803.00
Gave me $23,980.94 for my trade in.
Balance, $7,000 (with all the fees).
They gave me a $1,000 rebate.
Balance: $6,000.
Paid $6,000 and drove off the lot. So, kinda good? Unless I have this all wrong?

My truck as a trade in plus $6,000 and drove off the lot. So the maverick did cost $23.00 over sticker? I'm not a math whiz so if I am off...

 

[rclee]

Rule of thumb with car dealers. You either get a good trade in value, or you get more off the sticker price. You will rarely get both. It's all a numbers game. Sounds like you got a good trade in price. Sooo, you stayed at sticker price.

 

[surfstar]

The "deal" is that you only had to pay taxes on the difference in price between your trade-in and purchase price, it seems to me. That differs by state.

The price was basically MSRP.
If your trade-in was "high" = you got a "deal". If it wasn't high - you got average price. If it was low - you got hosed a little.

Hopefully you wanted a base XL ecoboost.

I think a tow hitch (too cheap to not add) and CP360 (gets blind spot monitoring and power mirrors for XL) are the minimal required options that I wouldn't buy any Mav without.

 

[Long Time Ford Guy]

The "deal" is that you only had to pay taxes on the difference in price between your trade-in and purchase price, it seems to me. That differs by state.

The price was basically MSRP.
If your trade-in was "high" = you got a "deal". If it wasn't high - you got average price. If it was low - you got hosed a little.

Hopefully you wanted a base XL ecoboost.

I think a tow hitch (too cheap to not add) and CP360 (gets blind spot monitoring and power mirrors for XL) are the minimal required options that I wouldn't buy any Mav without.

My trade in was a bit higher than normal. Got the car for sticker.

 

[Long Time Ford Guy]

Rule of thumb with car dealers. You either get a good trade in value, or you get more off the sticker price. You will rarely get both. It's all a numbers game. Sounds like you got a good trade in price. Sooo, you stayed at sticker price.

Exactly. Got a good five years out of the Dodge. I now have a new Maverick for $6k out of pocket.

 

[Long Time Ford Guy]

The "deal" is that you only had to pay taxes on the difference in price between your trade-in and purchase price, it seems to me. That differs by state.

The price was basically MSRP.
If your trade-in was "high" = you got a "deal". If it wasn't high - you got average price. If it was low - you got hosed a little.

Hopefully you wanted a base XL ecoboost.

I think a tow hitch (too cheap to not add) and CP360 (gets blind spot monitoring and power mirrors for XL) are the minimal required options that I wouldn't buy any Mav without.

I did want a base EcoBoost. Love that "fleet" vehicle look. I know. I'm a nerd.

 

[BigClydeLittleTruck]

Here's where you are: The deal is done. If you don't like this process, which it seems you don't, learn as much as you can before you have to buy the next one. Why? The more you know, the better you will feel about your ability to negotiate a fair deal the next time. There are plenty of YouTube resources where you can learn how all of this works and that knowledge will help you to feel better when you make your next purchase.

For now, rather than worrying about whether you were taken for a ride, take your new Maverick for a ride. Roll the windows down, or turn the A/C up high, and enjoy your ride!

 

[mavhopefull]

There's an old saying: if you buy a car from a friend, he will no longer be your friend. That being said, I just want to make sure my "friend" didn't pull a fast one on me at the time of sale. I always hated buying a car anywhere, my entire life, because I enter the dealership just knowing I will be lied to (and believe me, I caught more than one salesman lying in the past). Anyway, I just purchased a 2025 Maverick base model, the one that looks like a white fleet style vehicle, the esthetics of which, believe it or not, I actually prefer. The sticker was about $29,500 and it was so new it wasn't listed in inventory. No frills.

It started this way: the night before, at a friend's house, the "pitch" was "Oh yeah, I can get you a Maverick for about $22,000.-$25,000 You trading in your truck (a 2020 Dodge Ram Warlock with 41,800 miles, great condition)?" he asked. I said yes. He did a quick lookup on his phone and said, "Oh! We can give you about $28 $29 k for your truck!" Swell, I was on my way for a new car purchase.

Next morning, oh how the story had changed! "I was wrong about your truck, sorry. I accidentally looked up a much more expensive version of your truck and thought it was your model." Uhhhh huh. Okay, I looked past that. Then, when I saw the sticker, it was $29,500. So I asked "I thought you quoted 22 to 25!" He replied, "I just found out we're not discounting these!" Okayyyyyyyy. So, he put the deal on the table: my trade in plus 7K. I countered with my trade in plus 5k. He counter offered my trade in with 6K. I took it. So, I drove off the lot with a 2025 Maverick that cost me sticker price with 6K cash down and 23,500 for my 2020 Ram.

QUESTION: Is this guy my friend? (He said they gave me the "deal" on my trade in).

Here’s my take on that conversation:

1. The Setup

It starts with a classic “friend deal” situation, where expectations were set casually at a lower price ($22–25k for the Maverick, $28–29k trade-in value for the Ram). That anchored you to expect a strong deal.

2. The Shift

The next day, the story changed:

• The trade-in was suddenly valued much lower (“I looked at the wrong trim”).
• The Maverick went from “22–25k” to “no discounts, full sticker at $29,500.”
  Both of those reversals put you on the defensive, and it reads like the “friend” was either sloppy or deliberately using sales tactics to soften you up.

3. The Negotiation

The end result:

• Maverick sold at full sticker ($29,500).
• Your Ram was valued at $23,500, which is $4–5k under what he first quoted.
• You bridged the difference with $6,000 cash.
  So in effect, you gave up your Ram for $23,500 and added $6,000, meaning you paid $29,500 in total for the Maverick.

4. The Value Question

A couple of points to consider:

• Market Reality: Ford Mavericks, especially new ones, have been in high demand and short supply. Dealers often sell them at MSRP, sometimes with additional markups. So paying sticker isn’t necessarily a rip-off.
• Trade-In: The sting is the trade-in. A 2020 Ram Warlock in good shape with under 45k miles could fetch more in a private sale, likely $28–30k depending on market and region. That’s where you probably lost a few thousand.
• Friend Angle: The trust issue is the bigger problem. Whether it was deliberate or careless, the “friend” set false expectations and left you feeling hustled.

5. Overall Impression

• Financially: You didn’t get a bargain, but you didn’t get completely taken either. You basically paid full price for a Maverick and undersold your Ram by a few grand.
• Relationally: The way it unfolded erodes trust. That “old saying” you quoted seems to apply, because mixing friendship and car sales often ends up sour.

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