I Think The Maverick is The Best Entry Level Vehicle Ever Created

[Surly Old Bill]

Halt mein Bier ...

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[AutobahnSHO]

Halt mein Bier ...

Nah, quick googling the VW started at $1500-2000 in USA in 1960 which is $16-21k now. Maverick is a much much more capable vehice.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

Nah, quick googling the VW started at $1500-2000 in USA in 1960 which is $16-21k now. Maverick is a much much more capable vehice.

USA isn't the only place on the planet, tho...and retail prices are predatorially high in Merkuh compared to not-Merkuh. And currently, with proposed tariffs, prices for cars in Merkuh are artificially even HIGHER. The Mav will likely have a base MSRP of $35k in 2026. Maybe higher. That's ok, Merkuns are rich, we can pay the extra 30-50% price increases.

To balance the scale, incomes are also higher here, so these higher prices for cars that we've always paid compared to the rest of the world are relative. While $35k seems like a lot for an entry-level car, that's about half a year's income for most people. Average income for 1960 was $5600, so the Bug would cost about 3 months wages, or half the real cost of a $35k vehicle today. Average income 2025 is $66,500, so the $28k Maverick base model is a little more than 4 months wages, and will be about 6 months wages after tariffs and other factors increase the purchase price. Unless income also increases, changing the ratio.

 

[DS_Ohio]

Surly old bill is right by almost any metric. The OP asked best entry level vehicle ever.
" Its production period of 65 years is the longest of any single generation of automobile,[c] and its total production of over 21.5 million is the most of any car of a single platform and the second-most of any nameplate produced in the 20th century. "

 

[Cherokee]

Nah, quick googling the VW started at $1500-2000 in USA in 1960 which is $16-21k now. Maverick is a much much more capable vehice.

My brother bought a 55 horse power version. I think it was a 1972 model.
Wouldn’t get out if its own way,
If you had a head wind you were screwed.
Noisy little Hitler car.

But the thing would run errands all day then take you to the beach the next day on $5 worth of gas.
I watched him pull the engine out into his lap as he sat Indian style.
He put a custom built header style exhaust in it. Did nothing for the performance.
Everything about that car sucked but we really loved it.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

My brother bought a 55 horse power version. I think it was a 1972 model.
Wouldn’t get out if its own way,
If you had a head wind you were screwed.
Noisy little Hitler car.

But the thing would run errands all day then take you to the beach the next day on $5 worth of gas.
I watched him pull the engine out into his lap as he sat Indian style.
He put a custom built header style exhaust in it. Did nothing for the performance.
Everything about that car sucked but we really loved it.

I had a VW Thing for a while. Same as the bug except different body. I guess my '66 Porsche 912 was also just a bug with a different body, too. Yes, the engines were insanely easy to work on, even when I didn't know much about cars in my younger years (Chilton's helped...).

 

[Darryl]

This thread, LoL
What makes it entry level?
It stand s alone in the mini truck category IMO

Qualifies as Entry level in this case because its base price is literally the lowest priced vehicle Ford currently makes

 

[dochawk]

I think driving the civic was a similar experience

Try that Honda that came *before* the civic!

substantially smaller, chain drive from the two cylinder engine. One blurted out (not fast enough to say "shot") in front of my '72 Impala, and it's length appeared less than my width as I braked to avoid getting a fresh hood ornament.

I guess my '66 Porsche 912 was also just a bug with a different body, too.

Porsche started by getting chassis w/ engine & transmission from VW, and souping up the engine (like, from 25 to 40!) and suspension. Bit by bit, they made more of their own parts.

You could still see the VW jack socket on the side of the 1980s 911!!

at an auction, I got called over to help with a 50s (53?) porch that someone couldn't start a few cars short of the cage. The cylinder turned with the key! I got in, and ended up reaching under the dash to hold the cylinder while turning the key!

As I sat there waiting (I think they had me keep it running at that point) I noticed more and more that I recognized from my father's 64 VW--window handles and such, and even the roof liner!

I don't know if they ever made their own 4 before going over to the 6 in the 911, so I'd expect that the 4 in the 912 was VW sourced and soupedup. I know that the 914 engine ws actually a VW hippiemobile engine.

 

[Red Eyes - Wide Shut]

Number One entry level trick would have to be the B2200 Mazda truck. Ford liked it so much they rebranded it years earlier. It easily could reach the 200,000 mile mark with next to no issues other than normal maintenance. Bullet proof and simple. The Maverick has had to many recalls to be what the OPs view is. Being a unibody also subtract some from it. It is an SUV not a truck. It does have a great look and that's the majority of it's appeal. Along with great mileage. I believe the majority of buyers are 50 or older and use it as a grocery getter and status symbol, a toy for a cheap price.

 

[dochawk]

the B2200 Mazda truck.

I don't remember which was which, but Mada sold a small truck (B2000 ?) that was actually made by ford of Brazil, with a Mazda powertrain.

 

[sunglint]

Can anyone else name an entry level product from any mainstream brand that's been this affordable, practical, reliable, efficient, good looking, fun to drive? While also having this much character? I've never seen another affordable vehicle that has this much passion put into it.

I absolutely loved my 2005 Scion Xb. 30+ mpg for over 14 years, fun to drive, carried a ton, Park anywhere, hated when someone hit me from behind and totaled it. I consider my 2022 Hybrid a worthy successor.

 

[robbyrob]

I rented several entry level cars. Some were competent. But they were simply functional. The Maverick CAN scream entry level "functional" too from the outside if equipped with the steel wheels and painted white. But once equipped with any other wheels and a spray in bed liner or tonneau cover, it's transformed into something that people actually say "that's nice. What kind of truck is that?" Yes. The interior contains a lot of hard plastics. But the seats are nicer than the average entry level vehicle in my opinion. And the 2025 refresh takes it up a notch with the revised cluster and touchscreen.

with the revised cluster and touchscreen
NO ty Ford did not get the memo that buyers want to keep the knobs

 

[Surly Old Bill]

I believe the majority of buyers are 50 or older and use it as a grocery getter and status symbol, a toy for a cheap price.

Status symbol?! A cheap unibody?!
Perfect as a utility vehicle, but head-scratcher as something a person would spend more than $30k on, regardless of trim level and options when there are so many better vehicles at the higher pricepoints.

 

[Darryl]

with the revised cluster and touchscreen
NO ty Ford did not get the memo that buyers want to keep the knobs

People who want to keep the knobs want to keep the knobs. Others couldn't care less. But regardless of how they feel towards the knobs, the instrument cluster looks nicer. The old cluster was fine. But it looked utilitarian and functional. TheF250, F150. Ranger, and pretty much every other Ford vehicle has moved beyond simply functional into actually looking "nice" along with the functionality. The speedometer power meter etc looks more upscale, and the touchscreen is larger yet remains horizontal. So it doesn't look like a tablet. This allows the map to be large and easily visible. I THOUGHT I'd hate the touch controls for the AC. But I don't even notice because I don't have to scroll through a menu. They're always visible. The volume still has a knob. I like that.

 

[Catrikerider]

“I've been in civics, in Kia Rios, Toyota tercels, cruzes, fiestas. There's always this underlying message of "We don't really care about you" that you get from something like a Corolla or a civic. It's a "They'll take whatever we give them" mentality. The maverick is the first entry level vehicle I've ever experienced that doesn't feel or act like an entry level vehicle,”

Funny, I feel exactly the opposite coming from Hondas and Toyotas primarily. As an example, our base model Toyota from 2018 came standard with all kinds of feature the Maverick lacks. Adaptive cruise, self parallel parking, all windows one touch up and down, pushbutton start, etc.

The form factor of the Maverick is pure genius, but every time I drive mine it feels quite cheap and as if every single penny that could be trimmed by the bean counters was trimmed. Don’t even get me started on rattles.

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