The New Maverick Mentality

[Deleted member 37952]

I feel like the Maverick has kind of covered two slightly different demographics during it's life.

1. People who want a cheap, no frills truck.
2. People who want a small truck no matter what.

I think that first group made up a very vocal part of the initial Maverick buyers but as the trucklet has spent a few year on the market, the focus is shifting towards the second group, likely for a few various reasons and for better or worse.

Not to say that there isn't overlap between the two groups, there definitely is but I think it's fair grouping. I myself fall more into the second group as even if I had F-150 money, I wouldn't buy it because it's just too large for my preferences and I would rather buy a nicer fully-loaded Mav.

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[FreedomPenguin]

I feel like the Maverick has kind of covered two slightly different demographics during it's life.

1. People who want a cheap, no frills truck.
2. People who want a small truck no matter what.

I think that first group made up a very vocal part of the initial Maverick buyers but as the trucklet has spent a few year on the market, the focus is shifting towards the second group, likely for a few various reasons and for better or worse.

Not to say that there isn't overlap between the two groups, there definitely is but I think it's fair grouping. I myself fall more into the second group as even if I had F-150 money, I wouldn't buy it because it's just too large for my preferences and I would rather buy a nicer fully-loaded Mav.

agree here, im also group 2. time for a new vehicle, and its the perfect size, paying more for lariat and the amenities is just worth it. im tired of basic vehicles.

 

[23grayXLT84]

this is mostly true. the other factor in the price increases is competition. the only santa cruz that meaningfully matches to a maverick is the few high-cost models that have the 2.5 turbo, so I doubt it's a coincidence that the lariat ecoboost awd has increased the least year-over-year since MY22.

the tremor is a very good fit for you (OP), but there are several big takeaways looking broadly at the orders over time. (here and in a large FB group, dealers have been posting the commodity reports, and I've been reading them over 3 years now.)

1. Ford did want to shock the market with the low hybrid truck pricing in 2021 and it did work. it likely would have worked several thousand higher than it started, but in my opinion would have failed if the hybrid Maverick cost in 2021 what they're asking for it now.

2a. peak demand was the time between when hybrid and then all orders closed for the 2022, and then MY23 orders opened and closed in under a week. by the time MY24 orders opened, after numerous package changes and price increases, demand had been tamed.

2b. guess what the tremor did during that time? less than 1% of retail orders. I don't know how many dealer stock tremors were ordered & sold. so, Ford decided to kill the XLT tremor and make Tremor a trim level (kind of) above Lariat, but it still can't tow 4k pounds. I think when MY25 is done we will yet again see very low sales for the Tremor. I have no idea what Lobo sales will look like but I'm hopeful it's a success.

3. retail (customer) orders are very low for MY25 compared to other years- even against MY24 when orders basically never closed until normal schedule in the summer, and even for hybrids which were severely constrained in MY22-23. in MY24, sales (and production) were way higher than MY23 (and 22), so dealers are clearly selling trucks that they are ordering as stock and I expect that to continue in MY25. if MY25 sales are low due to prices, market saturation, competition or any other reasons we will start to see that trend by perhaps May - June.

With little effort you can buy a 25 off the lot.
I have dealers calling me to see if I'm interested in trading in. No reason to place an order if you can walk in and even negotiate. Placing one likely results in no discount and low ball trade in because they know how bad you want it.

Maverick party is over.

 

[FreedomPenguin]

With little effort you can buy a 25 off the lot.
I have dealers calling me to see if I'm interested in trading in. No reason to place an order if you can walk in and even negotiate. Placing one likely results in no discount and low ball trade in because they know how bad you want it.

Maverick party is over.

I posted few days ago, theres literally 15+ 2025' mavericks on my lot, XL + XLT's + tremors. No lariats though.

 

[23grayXLT84]

I feel like the Maverick has kind of covered two slightly different demographics during it's life.

1. People who want a cheap, no frills truck.
2. People who want a small truck no matter what.

I think that first group made up a very vocal part of the initial Maverick buyers but as the trucklet has spent a few year on the market, the focus is shifting towards the second group, likely for a few various reasons and for better or worse.

Not to say that there isn't overlap between the two groups, there definitely is but I think it's fair grouping. I myself fall more into the second group as even if I had F-150 money, I wouldn't buy it because it's just too large for my preferences and I would rather buy a nicer fully-loaded Mav.

You forgot #3. Those who buy a $40k truck to save on gas.

 

[colinl]

You forgot #3. Those who buy a $40k truck to save on gas.

it's funny but true. there are some folks super excited about their hybrid mpg and then post that they drive under 7k miles per year.

people can spend their money however they like, it doesn't really have to make sense to anyone else. we have 3 vehicles in the household and the one my teen drives is worth less than our 3 mountainbikes.

 

[Deleted member 37952]

You forgot #3. Those who buy a $40k truck to save on gas.

Fair, I kinda subconsciously lump them in with #2 because same/same in my mind. When I was shopping, I immediately ruled out a lot of good midsized trucks because the gas mileage was just awful.

 

[FreedomPenguin]

Fair, I kinda subconsciously lump them in with #2 because same/same in my mind. When I was shopping, I immediately ruled out a lot of good midsized trucks because the gas mileage was just awful.

its a truck usefulness with car MPG. another reason why I wanted it. and 76 a month insurance lol.

 

[Mark1]

The 20k was an introductory, loss-leader price to kickstart sales. It worked.

When you factor in inflation, and leave out the artificially low price on the very base first year, price has not increased all that much.

Since the 83-84 recession (the last "real" recession before the ones millennial writes fancy "the Great Recession"), we've been spoiled by dollars being worth roughly the same amount from year to year. Covid spending, for better or worse, shattered this over 21-23. Dollars simply aren't worth what they used to be, so it takes more to buy the same things.

You must be a capitalist with deep pockets focused on profit not quality. Since the early 70's and especially since Reganomics, wages have been stagnant while all costs have risen. While business farms out production to foreign countries. Not for lower prices but for higher profits. China thinks over long term we think about tomorrow. We sold off rights to rare earth metals beginning in the 70's, to the point that I believe they own 80% of them. Greed, stupidity and laziness.

 

[Dignam]

I feel like the Maverick has kind of covered two slightly different demographics during it's life.

1. People who want a cheap, no frills truck.
2. People who want a small truck no matter what.

This is pretty accurate. What I find funny is some people in group 1 are, at times, the same ones to hop on the forums and blast the build quality. Like you need to consult the sacred triangle of "quality-fast-cheap"; you can only pick two. That said, it's far from the worst vehicle I've owned in terms of build quality, having done somewhat in depth mods on my previous XLT. Some people just like to complain, and for whatever reason this forum attracts them like flies to honey. To the point I've thought about politely requesting mods to crack down on low-effort bitch-fests that bring no value whatsoever, but I digress...

I find myself more in camp 2. My '25 was the first time in my life I left the dealership without a new auto loan to my name; I consider myself fortunate to be able to slap down a check for a new truck, especially with how increasingly financially strained many, many people are these days. Point being, I could have easily spent more to get a Taco, Ranger, Frontier, etc. but that's not what I wanted.

 

[Milwrdfan]

So I think it's generally agreed that those initial sub $20K mavericks were under priced for what they were. So a question to those that purchased a '22, especially the inexpensive bare-bones XL, if it were priced at $24.9K (under a $25K price), would you have still purchased it, or would that 5K cost difference been a make/break issue for you, if you never knew they'd thought about pricing it at sub-$20K initially? I think at $25K, it would still have been considered a good deal with a lot of popularity and sales, but curious about whether that difference would have made a difference to those that actually purchased one in '22?

 

[Camo51]

Horsepower and torque havent changed yet,not until job 3 later this year.

Just go check on Ford's site.

 

[Packer Bill]

The only real improvements in the 25s were the addition of Sync 4 and port fuel injection to decrease the possibility of valve gunking in the Ecoboost engine; even then, this latter change caused a loss of 12 hp and 3 lbs of torque. Everything else is aesthetics or package configurations, which come down to personal taste. A model redesign could have justified the price increase, but this was a simple refresh and nothing more.

Don't forget the pro trailer assist package...game changer imho!!

 

[Charles T.]

My 2022 is tight as a drum. I can‘t think of a negative, and I was driving a F-150 for 16yrs before receiving the Lariat Dec 21, 2021.

 

[capecruiser]

Just go check on Ford's site.

Hasnt taken effect yet. Many posts on this subject. Even when it does they say it wont have much effect on HP and torque

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