The New Maverick Mentality

[robbyrob]

As I await my new 2025 Tremor, I realize the Maverick mentality has changed significantly. I became a fan in 2021 when the Maverick was first announced and received one of the first XLT FX4s delivered in Southern California. I'm still driving it today, and it meets all my needs. When I bought it in 2022, I was on a tight budget. Things have improved, and I recently ordered my dream Maverick—the new Tremor. Living in Baja, I have access to vast off-road terrain.

A few weeks ago, I posted how $40,000 is the new normal for Mavericks. Reflecting on this and seeing the comments, I've noticed a shift in pride of ownership. While we're spending more, the recent upgrades have enhanced the vehicle's quality and appeal.

The perception has moved from seeing it as just a cool, affordable truck to recognizing it as a well-engineered vehicle that justifies its higher price.

Ford did not receive the memo that buyers want knobs and not more controls on screens
Glad I have my 2023 Maverick hybrid

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[GyroRon]

Seems like there has been an ongoing trend in maverick discussions that anything over a XL model is pointless and a big waste of money.

I don't think it's a big secret that the higher end trims will lose more resale value than the lower spec models.

But I think that holds true with all vehicles. I think that if you look at F150 for example, a fully loaded Platinum edition will lose more value over say 5 years of ownership than a STX or XLT for example.

So should no one buy a platinum F150?

You can find this to be true with most all other vehicles out there... My daughter recently bought a new Toyota corolla hybrid... Even with those, there are LE then SE then XLE trims and then there are options you can add to all of those trims. You can go from a base LE at around 26 grand all the way up to a XLE with all options and be close to 42-43 grand. Does that mean the only sensible way to buy a corolla is to get a LE? IDK... I am sure that from a value and resale mindset, the LE is the only model you should look at, but she chose to get a SE because it looks better and has additional features you can't get on a LE. It cost her more money to buy, but she is getting more stuff for her money.

And that is the same thing with Mavericks. I have a lariat, but before that I had a XLT. I can easily see that there isn't a ton of difference between my Lariat and the XLT... Fake leather seats is the biggest change between them. It was a good bit more money to get the lariat... But there was small features only the lariat had that I wanted.

 

[Packer Bill]

I do not think about resell value. I normally keep my vehicles 10 years and trade-in or now I give the vehicle to one of my children. My exception is buying a MY25 Maverick and giving my 22 Maverick to one of my kids who has a need for a newer and more dependable vehicle.

 

[d7602002]

When it comes to resale value that's not a big issue for me when I buy a vehicle. My wife and I usually keep our vehicles for a long time. Had my Pontiac sunbird for 14 years, drove my Toyota Camry for 15 years, had a Plymouth Voyager for, strangely enough, 15 years. I think the shortest I ever owned a vehicle was 4 years and That's because in 2002 I bought a 1991 Dodge caravan with like 110,000 mi on it for $300 dollars and then drove that back and forth to work for 4 years. Due to the condition that Dodge caravan never set foot on a highway. I don't think I ever drove it more than 40 miles an hour. Then I traded it in on a newer car and they actually gave me 500 bucks for it.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

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 definitely can relate to #1.
I can also partly relate to #2. - the small truck part, anyway.

I wanted a small truck that would fit in my garage. I had planned to buy the "new" design Ranger, back when there were rumors Ford was bringing it back. But I was very disappointed, when I saw one at a dealer and at first glance, didn't really seem any smaller than an F-150.

So I forgot about small trucks, until I heard about the upcoming Maverick. When it came out and was revealed the Hybrid was standard equipment, I decided I was going to buy an XL+CP360. $23,339 OTD, and no regrets.

 

[GyroRon]

If the resale thing isn't really a concern then I guess the argument is that a 40 grand loaded lariat is really not worth the 40 grand because it's just a 20 grand stripped down XL with a few extra buttons and features...

And if that is the point people are making I can kind of see where they are coming from.

But then if you take that same mindset into looking a F150's as a example... There really isn't much difference between a XL or XLT F150 and a loaded to the gills Platinum. They don't really change much with the dash or door panels, they don't have a different frame or exterior sheet metal, You do go from cloth or even vinyl seats with manual adjustments to nice leather seats with power adjustment... But there really isn't a ton of difference in those trucks same as the mavericks. Would you say the same thing about someone spending 80-100 grand on a loaded up F150, that their truck is really just a 50 grand truck with a few extra worthless buttons, as you say to the maverick owner that chose to spend 38-42 grand for a loaded lariat?

I can say that in some cases, it works the opposite way. My wifes Toyota highlander for example... It is essentially a Lexus RX350, but with a slightly less fancy toyota interior and a few less bells and whistles. It is a 60 thousand dollar vehicle, that because it has toyota badging it only cost 40 grand....

IDK, I do hate that there is such a price spread on the mavericks. I have had 3 of them so far, a basic XLT with no options... a XLT with the lux package... and the lariat I have now. I really liked the XLT with the lux package and if I could have just optioned out adaptive cruise and a few other minor upgrades I would have just kept that over the lariat. I prefer the cloth seats actually. But seems like its just how things go with trucks, they make a basic version and then go up and up from there with options, trim levels, packages etc... There is a huge spread in price for essentially the same vehicle depending on trim and packages / options.

 

[colinl]

I really liked the XLT with the lux package and if I could have just optioned out adaptive cruise and a few other minor upgrades I would have just kept that over the lariat. I prefer the cloth seats actually.

I am 100% there as well. My Bronco has lux package and this did not include pleather seats, and guess what cloth is tons cooler in the summer when you have the top off, and seat heaters work great with cloth.

You can buy a Ranger XLT with ACC. Ford is just milking the Maverick lariat as long as they can and I say that as a person who has purchased two lariat lux.

 

[Maverick2023]

As I await my new 2025 Tremor, I realize the Maverick mentality has changed significantly. I became a fan in 2021 when the Maverick was first announced and received one of the first XLT FX4s delivered in Southern California. I'm still driving it today, and it meets all my needs. When I bought it in 2022, I was on a tight budget. Things have improved, and I recently ordered my dream Maverick—the new Tremor. Living in Baja, I have access to vast off-road terrain.

A few weeks ago, I posted how $40,000 is the new normal for Mavericks. Reflecting on this and seeing the comments, I've noticed a shift in pride of ownership. While we're spending more, the recent upgrades have enhanced the vehicle's quality and appeal.

The perception has moved from seeing it as just a cool, affordable truck to recognizing it as a well-engineered vehicle that justifies its higher price.

I see ford marketing team has done a good job of convincing consumers like you to justify a $30k truck to be $40k.

 

[Frankd71864]

To me it seems like a lot of these posts are made to help people justify these new price tags.

It's 85% same truck as original.
Is it upgraded, in some regards yes but let's wait for a full refresh and get a 85% new truck.

Ranger base MSRP $33K Raptor $57K
F150 $38K Tremor $75K

2025 Maverick XL $25K Tremor 40K

Enjoy your inexpensive Tremor.

 

[Cherokee]

Automobiles are the worst investment we ever make and always will be. But we need them. My wife and I saved tens of thousands driving our bought slightly used and new vehicles into the ground. We used them up. 3, 4 and one over 500,000 miles.
Over several decades we saved well over $100,000 by not trading in every 4 or 5 years.
I did most of my pm’s myself.

Now with the complexity of cars I won’t touch em. Only Ford works on my Fords.
That has been very cost effective. My Dealer does great work, I get motorcraft parts and I found them to be no more expensive than other repair shops.
I even get the better deal on tires at my Ford dealer.
I buy on the Ford Black Friday sales.
Example:
My Falkin Rubitreks had $150 rebate on Black Friday
The tires were $142 and at Walmart they were $167
Basically I had a buy 3 get one free deal.
I stay under warranty now. I buy the extended to 100,000 and trade in before that expires.
Paid $2,000 for my 2024 AWD Ecoboost to be fully covered to 100k
That’s cheap insurance.
And I get into new tech more often, that’s fun.

My Lariat is great! I dig it,
It’s mine :’P
It’s a lowly 2024,
I’m not cool anymore,
I don’t have the newest grill work or the biggest infotainment screen anymore.
I am so ashamed~~~~
NOT !
:’P

 

[GyroRon]

It is a funny thing that on the forums and facebook pages there is so much " hate " for the lariats and highly optioned XLT mavericks. It is almost like there is a huge group that thinks anything over 20-25 grand on a maverick is stupid.

But I don't see that same mentality with the F150 or Superduty groups. There isn't much talk of how stupid it is that someone who dropped 80 grand on a high trim F150 / F250, when they could have bought the work truck spec XL with rubber floors and vinyl seats for 30 grand less.

I recently had a chance to ride shotgun in a friends new truck, a loaded Lariat F250. His truck had the massaging seats option. And let me tell you... those seats were AWESOME. I would for sure want those seats on my next vehicle and if that means I have to buy a high trim level to get them, then so be it.

I guess the thing to be upset about is they don't give you the ability to order just the base truck and any options you want. You couldn't order a base XL F150 and then get massaging seats...

 

[colinl]

But I don't see that same mentality with the F150 or Superduty groups. There isn't much talk of how stupid it is that someone who dropped 80 grand on a high trim F150 / F250, when they could have bought the work truck spec XL with rubber floors and vinyl seats for 30 grand less.

I'm not in the F series discussions but I see this same thing with Broncos. It's mostly about the people who choose to participate in forums and Facebook groups, and the amount of money they choose to, or are able to, spend on their vehicles. Both new purchases and modifications. It took a really long time for the Maverick ecoboost tuning community to really get rolling and it's still not at all like the Focus community became after the ST was first launched. In almost every single thread about any kind of modification you're going to get a reply asking about warranty and a reply asking about fuel economy.

I believe it's because of the demographics of Maverick owners. There are simply a lot of people who buy Mavericks who either don't have the funds to spend, or are very frugal and choose not to spend it.

Mavericks appeal to so many different people, so many uses cases that are very different.
- cheapest Ford you can buy. cheapest new truck you can buy.
- prius with a bed, urban fuel efficiency matters most.
- off-road/soft-road.
- towing and hauling.
- street trucks.
- outdoor recreation.

At least 2 of those common interests are about saving money. People don't buy F series or Broncos to save money.

 

[icegradner]

Prices have been nuts across the board for sometime - making the reasonably priced 2022 Ford Maverick a true marketing genius - Meanwhile reality says Somethings Gotta Give ! Interesting to see how this plays out.



Cheers

Youtube guys have been making click bate videos like this since 2023, hasn't happened yet.

 

[NCXLT]

The perception has moved from seeing it as just a cool, affordable truck to recognizing it as a well-engineered vehicle that justifies its higher price.

Just got mine and had the first drive and feels like a 20 to 25k vehicle that's overinflated. I like it, but more like damn, pay $34k for that and probably should have paid $25, vs feeling like I got a great deal. If they didn't over inflate them like all others have, then definitely xlt hybrid in the mid 20's would have that feeling.

 

[Packer Bill]

Just got mine and had the first drive and feels like a 20 to 25k vehicle that's overinflated. I like it, but more like damn, pay $34k for that and probably should have paid $25, vs feeling like I got a great deal. If they didn't over inflate them like all others have, then definitely xlt hybrid in the mid 20's would have that feeling.

Welcome to real world of auto pricing!

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