The New Maverick Mentality

[Cherokee]

I bet I’m not alone,
I could have afforded a cowboy Cadillac, a $60-70,000 F-150 but I did not need that much truck.
My last F-150 XL was a 2013 with the work truck package.
To this day I miss the rubber floor, carpet in pickup truck ! Really !
I paid $20,400 brand new out the door Including Tax Tag and Title.
It had a powerful V-6 it was so fast off the line that yes, I could light the tires when empty. If I behaved it got 21.5 Mpg on the highway and 19 in town with half ton loads in the bed, consistently.

I don’t need that much truck anymore and I think my $37,000 Lariat was worth every penny to me.
Things change.

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[710-oil-614]

“It’s the same truck as my XL” applies to literally every vehicle and trim offered in America.

Yes, my Lariat rides on the same C2 platform as your XL. Yes it uses the same drivetrain.

No. They are not the same vehicles.

Your 21,500 XL has a shit ass infotainment system, no cruise, ass for quality speakers, steel wheels, shitty CV axles, deep sleep issues.

Whether you find value in the options, features, and improvements of the 2025 Lariat is irrelevant.

It’s not the same truck. Just like an XL Maverick is not the same as a Lincoln Nautilus.

“Durrrr the Lincoln Nautilus is really just a 21,500 vehicle”

 

[GyroRon]

I will admit, I have not " built " a 2025 maverick to see what all comes on the various trims and what they cost.

It is very possible that in the 2025 models, the XL and or the XLT might come with most of the stuff that I personally would be happy with, without upgrading to a higher trim.

I have bought a ton of vehicles in my lifetime, with a good percentage of them brand new. I have almost never bought the " top of the line " trim of any vehicle I have ever bought. And I can easily see how some people would talk negatively of other people that do...

I can remember when my best friend bought a new F150, his first truck ever, back in late 2017 and he got his in the lariat trim with all the options you could get in a lariat.... Push button start, giant panoramic sunroof, 4 wheel drive, 3.5 EcoBoost, heated and cooled leather seats, adaptive cruise, etc... etc... etc.... And he paid in the high 50 grand range for it. Then 6 months later I decided to get rid of my " old " 2008 tundra, which per usual was a low spec trim, to buy myself a F150. I ended up buying a 2wd XLT trim that had a few options that at least gave it heated seats... But I didn't have the bigger engine, no sunroof, no cooled leather seats, no four wheel drive, no adaptive cruise, no push button start etc... and I only paid like 35 grand for mine. And like many here, I ragged on him for spending so much more money for what was still basically the same truck. At that time I didn't see the logic in spending 15 + grand more for what seemed like the same truck.

But then fast forward to 2022 and I wanted to replace my F150 with a F250 cause we ( myself and my family ) wanted to upgrade our camper from a 30 foot toyhauler that was already way too big and heavy for the F150 to a 40 foot fifth wheel camper... And at that time you had to custom order pretty much all trucks... so as I " built " my truck for my order I decided some of those " stupid " upgrades my buddy got on his lariat F150 WERE ACTUALLY WORTH spending some extra money on, and I ended up ordering a Lariat F250 for myself. And I love the truck, Sure I spent probably 10 grand more than I needed to, as I probably could have been mostly satisfied with a XL or XLT F250, but I really enjoy the things that Lariat upgrade netted me.

I had to swallow my pride and admit to my friend after I got my F250 and started driving it, that I was wrong for busting his balls about spending so much more on his F150 over what I spent on my F150 now that I had time to drive my own Lariat.

So anyway, that could explain why some here hate on the Lariat mavericks or even optioned out XLT's... Because they don't see the value in what the extra money bought us when we bought those higher level trucks.

Heck I didn't order any of my trucks with a sunroof... Not the F250 or the mavericks. On the maverick it was like $1000-1200 option as I recall and I would have never even opened the sunshade, so to me, it was worthless to spend that extra money. Probably all the extra stuff a lariat comes with is equally worthless to the XL crowd here.

 

[Maverick2023]

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.

You could have bought it when it was low. There was ample opportunity to do so. I got 2 Mavericks for less than 25k otd

 

[dochawk]

Reading is definitely hard for some people. I won't judge good sir.

The same can be said about writing coherent paragraphs . . .

 

[23grayXLT84]

“It’s the same truck as my XL” applies to literally every vehicle and trim offered in America.

Yes, my Lariat rides on the same C2 platform as your XL. Yes it uses the same drivetrain.

No. They are not the same vehicles.

Your 21,500 XL has a shit ass infotainment system, no cruise, ass for quality speakers, steel wheels, shitty CV axles, deep sleep issues.

Whether you find value in the options, features, and improvements of the 2025 Lariat is irrelevant.

It’s not the same truck. Just like an XL Maverick is not the same as a Lincoln Nautilus.

“Durrrr the Lincoln Nautilus is really just a 21,500 vehicle”

They saved $20k if you compare to yours. Yes that was 3 years ago, and today its a 11k sticker difference.
Do they have issues, yes and most I think will be resolved soon (or improved). CV axles are redesigned, deep sleep should be addressed per SSM, camera fix will likely result in some infotainment improvements (speed wise, I don't expect new features)...don't matter to me anyways since I like most use AA or Apple carplay-thats the only feature most need out of their infotainment.

The 25s as superior they are, are starting to show issues on various groups.

3 year old 36k mile XL on my area shows a 18k trade in value. Not too bad if you ask me.

Oh and if I want to listen to good quality music. I'll do that at home.

Edit: don't forget today's XL has the same CV axles, similar or same sync4 , will have same deep sleep issues (or none)...as a lariat. I think it also has cruise control.

 

[dhaskit]

Brand new 2024 Lariat FX4 with the Lux package.
I Love the hand and bun warmers that come with the Lux pkg.
Also love the adaptive cruise control and lane centering, which I’ve never had until now.

I know I did better on price on the ’24 at Christmas time than I would have on a ’25 that arrived the next week and I’m more than happy with what I got.
I looked at the Tremor but Nope. The FX4 loaded was a better deal (for me) but to each their own.
I Love this little trucklet.

I have a buddy that bought a 2024 F250 4x4 diesel about 3 months ago. He spent $95,000.
He’s not as happy as I am. I can buy a crap-ton of fuel and travel a lot of miles with the difference in what the two of us paid for our trucks.

 

[Houndmav]

 

[GyroRon]

So yesterday morning I was at my dealer for a alignment and had about a hour to kill. Walked around looking at trucks while I was there and they had one brand new 2025 maverick on the lot. And it was a base hybrid XL model. It was a total stripper, no options other than a bed extender... Ugly silver steel wheels, no bedliner, no hitch, black exterior. MSRP was a little over 29 thousand dollars.

So as I make this post, I am on fords website " building " mavericks.

A 2025 hybrid fwd XLT with lux package, co pilot 360 and a wireless key pad is just over 34 grand.

Same truck, the XLT with AWD and 4K towing added, boosts the price up to 37 grand.

Move to a Lariat, and its 39.6 grand for AWD and 4K towing.

So the way I see it, your spending 29 grand for a base XL, add 5 grand to step up to a XLT with the lux package, or add 8 grand for a XLT with lux and the awd and 4k towing, or add 10 grand to just go straight to a lariat.

Big jump from a XL to a XLT with the lux package... But not a big jump from a XLT with awd and 4k to a Lariat with the same.

Be interesting to see what all you get additional jumping from the XL to the XLT with lux, and what all you get jumping from a XLT with lux to a Lariat.

I would love to have the bigger screens in the 2025, but otherwise I am very happy with my 2024 lariat. I don't need awd, and I really don't need the 4K towing, so there is no envy from me on those two things. My Lariat was MSRP of $37,375. Lariat hybrid with BAP and that's it. I used Fords X plan to save about a grand... then had a private cash offer of $3400, so my price out the door with taxes and fees was $33650. I had a 2023 hybrid XLT I bought 7 months before the lariat showed up at the dealer and was able to sell it for about $2500 in profits, and then also purchased another 2023 XLT hybrid a month or so before the lariat showed up I also resold for about $1500 in profits... so I rolled those profits into paying towards my Lariat, so with that being said I was into my lariat for around $29650. And at that price point I am very happy with my purchase!

 

[npaladin2000]

Not sure how I feel about the Maverick getting more expensive. Ford hit a home run and deserve to profit off of it (and having bought a second one I don't seem to mine paying more) but I hate to see it move out of people's price range. Maybe they need a new "Base" trim below the XL trim that can get closer to the $20k price point. Otherwise someone like RAM or Toyota could federalize a compact unibody and start undercutting Ford. Unlike Hyundai, those companies know how to build trucks too. RIght now the Maverick is a little expensive to serve as Ford's base/entry model in the US. They need to get it back down or they need a new entry model.

 

[ClemsonU88]

And none of it justifies the price increase. None of it. That happens for one reason and one reason only and if you don't know by now, then you were probably dumb enough to vote for it recently. Greed, in case you missed it or need it written in your favorite flavor crayons.

3 years ago a dozen eggs cost 1.79; today $4.53.
Milk costs 50% more now than 3 years ago.
5 years ago I bought a Nishiki bike from Dick's for $350. Today the same bike is $600.

Are all of these greedy, evil empire increases, or did a pandemic and an 18 month lock down and supply chain issues cause supply shortages that drove prices up? Combine that with the highest interest rates in 40 years (in a successful effort to avoid a recession), and you get 20%-30% inflation over 3-4 years. Doesn't really sound like excessive greed to me.

Some of it is the natural "Let's add a few more bells & whistles to make a little more profit" type of "greedy" increase as you suggest, but it ain't ALL greed. Nor does it seem to be excessive when you adjust the price of the Maverick for inflation and the things they made standard since 2022.

 

[710-oil-614]

3 years ago a dozen eggs cost 1.79; today $4.53.
Milk costs 50% more now than 3 years ago.
5 years ago I bought a Nishiki bike from Dick's for $350. Today the same bike is $600.

Are all of these greedy, evil empire increases, or did a pandemic and an 18 month lock down and supply chain issues cause supply shortages that drove prices up? Combine that with the highest interest rates in 40 years (in a successful effort to avoid a recession), and you get 20%-30% inflation over 3-4 years. Doesn't really sound like excessive greed to me.

Some of it is the natural "Let's add a few more bells & whistles to make a little more profit" type of "greedy" increase as you suggest, but it ain't ALL greed. Nor does it seem to be excessive when you adjust the price of the Maverick for inflation and the things they made standard since 2022.

Correct. The average new vehicle price in September 2020 was $38,723. The average new vehicle price in January 2025 is $48,401.

Maverick increases pretty much in line.

 

[ClemsonU88]

So yesterday morning I was at my dealer for a alignment and had about a hour to kill. Walked around looking at trucks while I was there and they had one brand new 2025 maverick on the lot. And it was a base hybrid XL model. It was a total stripper, no options other than a bed extender... Ugly silver steel wheels, no bedliner, no hitch, black exterior. MSRP was a little over 29 thousand dollars.

So as I make this post, I am on fords website " building " mavericks.

A 2025 hybrid fwd XLT with lux package, co pilot 360 and a wireless key pad is just over 34 grand.

Same truck, the XLT with AWD and 4K towing added, boosts the price up to 37 grand.

Move to a Lariat, and its 39.6 grand for AWD and 4K towing.

So the way I see it, your spending 29 grand for a base XL, add 5 grand to step up to a XLT with the lux package, or add 8 grand for a XLT with lux and the awd and 4k towing, or add 10 grand to just go straight to a lariat.

Big jump from a XL to a XLT with the lux package... But not a big jump from a XLT with awd and 4k to a Lariat with the same.

Be interesting to see what all you get additional jumping from the XL to the XLT with lux, and what all you get jumping from a XLT with lux to a Lariat.

I would love to have the bigger screens in the 2025, but otherwise I am very happy with my 2024 lariat. I don't need awd, and I really don't need the 4K towing, so there is no envy from me on those two things. My Lariat was MSRP of $37,375. Lariat hybrid with BAP and that's it. I used Fords X plan to save about a grand... then had a private cash offer of $3400, so my price out the door with taxes and fees was $33650. I had a 2023 hybrid XLT I bought 7 months before the lariat showed up at the dealer and was able to sell it for about $2500 in profits, and then also purchased another 2023 XLT hybrid a month or so before the lariat showed up I also resold for about $1500 in profits... so I rolled those profits into paying towards my Lariat, so with that being said I was into my lariat for around $29650. And at that price point I am very happy with my purchase!

And if you're so inclined, now you can add a larger screen to your 24 Lariat for around $600 (if your a DIYer).

 

[wax87]

I will admit, I have not " built " a 2025 maverick to see what all comes on the various trims and what they cost.

It is very possible that in the 2025 models, the XL and or the XLT might come with most of the stuff that I personally would be happy with, without upgrading to a higher trim.

I have bought a ton of vehicles in my lifetime, with a good percentage of them brand new. I have almost never bought the " top of the line " trim of any vehicle I have ever bought. And I can easily see how some people would talk negatively of other people that do...

I can remember when my best friend bought a new F150, his first truck ever, back in late 2017 and he got his in the lariat trim with all the options you could get in a lariat.... Push button start, giant panoramic sunroof, 4 wheel drive, 3.5 EcoBoost, heated and cooled leather seats, adaptive cruise, etc... etc... etc.... And he paid in the high 50 grand range for it. Then 6 months later I decided to get rid of my " old " 2008 tundra, which per usual was a low spec trim, to buy myself a F150. I ended up buying a 2wd XLT trim that had a few options that at least gave it heated seats... But I didn't have the bigger engine, no sunroof, no cooled leather seats, no four wheel drive, no adaptive cruise, no push button start etc... and I only paid like 35 grand for mine. And like many here, I ragged on him for spending so much more money for what was still basically the same truck. At that time I didn't see the logic in spending 15 + grand more for what seemed like the same truck.

But then fast forward to 2022 and I wanted to replace my F150 with a F250 cause we ( myself and my family ) wanted to upgrade our camper from a 30 foot toyhauler that was already way too big and heavy for the F150 to a 40 foot fifth wheel camper... And at that time you had to custom order pretty much all trucks... so as I " built " my truck for my order I decided some of those " stupid " upgrades my buddy got on his lariat F150 WERE ACTUALLY WORTH spending some extra money on, and I ended up ordering a Lariat F250 for myself. And I love the truck, Sure I spent probably 10 grand more than I needed to, as I probably could have been mostly satisfied with a XL or XLT F250, but I really enjoy the things that Lariat upgrade netted me.

I had to swallow my pride and admit to my friend after I got my F250 and started driving it, that I was wrong for busting his balls about spending so much more on his F150 over what I spent on my F150 now that I had time to drive my own Lariat.

So anyway, that could explain why some here hate on the Lariat mavericks or even optioned out XLT's... Because they don't see the value in what the extra money bought us when we bought those higher level trucks.

Heck I didn't order any of my trucks with a sunroof... Not the F250 or the mavericks. On the maverick it was like $1000-1200 option as I recall and I would have never even opened the sunshade, so to me, it was worthless to spend that extra money. Probably all the extra stuff a lariat comes with is equally worthless to the XL crowd here.

All I am interested in as far as upgrades from the factory would be rust protection, sound deadening and anything to make the truck last longer. I did get an XLT, primarily because of the Steelies, I would probably end up replacing them anyway for about the same price as the XLT upgrade.

 

[Jim D]

I’m an original xl purchaser and Was at the Ford dealership 3 days after it’s internet posting. The vehicular had lots of extra for less than $20k (especially phone adaptations). It was a “no brainer” especially the hybrid model. I suppose I’m with the first category. I still believe the xl hybrid is still an excellent option especially with our local gas prices. It’s been an outstanding truck.

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