Trading in from Maverick Tremor

[dss]

I drive a 3 month old 25 Maverick Tremor with less than 4K miles and want to trade up to the Raptor for several reasons. But the Maverick will lose almost 8-9 k from its purchase price in the trade. Is the Raptor truly that much worth it to justify the loss, if simply bought for the pleasure of driving and realizing that life is short. Important things for me are the ride comfort for daily commute and rear passenger seats. The F150 is just too big. Thanks for the advice.

Sponsored

 

[DutchRanger]

Did you test drive one?

 

[DrIanMalcolm]

I can’t tell you the best way to spend your money, but I can tell you how I got here. I bought a 25 Tacoma earlier this year, it was my first new vehicle purchase since 2012. I had it spec’d the way I wanted and it was a beautiful truck, in my opinion. The thing was, in just a couple of months, it was apparent that it didn’t drive right. Toyota took it for a week and confirmed there was some vibration from the trans, but because it wasn’t throwing codes they gave it back and assured me that I should drive it and be confident that if it broke, they would fix it.

The whole thing sat bad with me and I ended up two options I had interest in: trade it in for another Tacoma or take a look at the Ranger Raptor. Needless to say, I bought the Raptor. I took a similar hit on my Tacoma as you referenced. For me, it was totally worth it. I haven’t owned a vehicle this fun in a long time. It’s enjoyable to take to the grocery store. When you want to do anything else, you can. I am planning on Raptor Assault school next year.

Problems with it aside, I really liked the Tacoma. But, I love owning the Ranger Raptor so far. I had a 2013 Tundra Rock Warrior for almost 10 years, amazing truck that hooked me on Toyota from F150.

My 2 cents.

 

[Onceaneagle]

Drive one. No comparison with what you have. I am waiting until the 2026 build and price appears, hoping for red. Either way, I'm getting one, trading down from a 2021 F150 Lariat FX4 because as you say, life is short.

 

[JournaL]

I am coming from a 2023 Ford Maverick Tremor with 40K miles.

It was great affordable small pickup, very capable and useful. I wouldn't say it was fun to drive. The build quality and amount of recalls led me to trade it in. Transmission makes a bunch of noise when shifting gears. I broke the cabin air filter cover notch (flimsy plastic piece). The Maverick drives more like car with better handling. The Tremor did do well on some desert and dirt off roads in Eastern Oregon with decent impact absorption. Driving over 80 mph felt squirrely on the Maverick.

Acceleration and speed, I would give it to the RR. I would recommend a test drive to see if you like it before buying.

If the build quality was better (unfortunately at a ~30K price point nowdays likely not), I would probably get the Maverick Hybrid AWD with a 4K tow package. Then with the extra money saved, get a second car for fun things like a GR Corolla or GR86.

I was between an overpriced, less fun, less reliable than prior gens Tacoma with a hybrid system that does not significantly improve fuel economy, or a Ranger Raptor, so I chose the RR.

The fuel economy and small gas tank on the RR are probably the biggest drawbacks. KO3s are also dangerous on wet pavement for the first 2-3K...

 

[dss]

I can’t tell you the best way to spend your money, but I can tell you how I got here. I bought a 25 Tacoma earlier this year, it was my first new vehicle purchase since 2012. I had it spec’d the way I wanted and it was a beautiful truck, in my opinion. The thing was, in just a couple of months, it was apparent that it didn’t drive right. Toyota took it for a week and confirmed there was some vibration from the trans, but because it wasn’t throwing codes they gave it back and assured me that I should drive it and be confident that if it broke, they would fix it.

The whole thing sat bad with me and I ended up two options I had interest in: trade it in for another Tacoma or take a look at the Ranger Raptor. Needless to say, I bought the Raptor. I took a similar hit on my Tacoma as you referenced. For me, it was totally worth it. I haven’t owned a vehicle this fun in a long time. It’s enjoyable to take to the grocery store. When you want to do anything else, you can. I am planning on Raptor Assault school next year.

Problems with it aside, I really liked the Tacoma. But, I love owning the Ranger Raptor so far. I had a 2013 Tundra Rock Warrior for almost 10 years, amazing truck that hooked me on Toyota from F150.

My 2 cents.

I appreciate the advice

 

[dss]

Drive one. No comparison with what you have. I am waiting until the 2026 build and price appears, hoping for red. Either way, I'm getting one, trading down from a 2021 F150 Lariat FX4 because as you say, life is short.

That’s another question; take the plunge or wait six months. There are no reliable sources out there about the specs for the 2026.

 

[Onceaneagle]

Depends on what you want, need, and if you can eat additional depreciation. California is not Kansas and your market is different. My dealer has a RR he has discounted $2785 to $56K because he can't sell it. Medium size trucks are not the thing here but a $81K F150 Raptor sells. My F150 Lariat is low miles and excellent condition so my trade is still high and I won't lose much if I wait or sell it private. There are several new RR around me within 1 hour drive with colors I can tolerate. I also do not want bead rims or the factory spray in liner, as my dealer has had over spray issues that sometimes come off easily and other times not so easily. I prefer to go to Rhino, as my Line-X dealer closed. I am going to wait until the anticipated October 14 or so for the 2026 build sheet because although I do not expect much in model changes I want to see if Ford brings back a red color. I do not anticipate much price increase as RR sell and retain value. If red, I order. If not, I go for a 2025 or order one. If I can't swing it, which I doubt, then I get a Lariat with a 2.7L.

 

[mooner3]

Yea as said above, the markup thing is real and I suspect it’ll hurt. The difference isn’t just the depreciation of the Mav it’s the markup on the RR which in socal (not sure where you are) is at least $10k depending on how much they scew you. It makes the RR much less appealing imho at that price, but ya know, it’s your money

 

[Onceaneagle]

Yea as said above, the markup thing is real and I suspect it’ll hurt. The difference isn’t just the depreciation of the Mav it’s the markup on the RR which in socal (not sure where you are) is at least $10k depending on how much they scew you. It makes the RR much less appealing imho at that price, but ya know, it’s your money

The West has gone stupid on RR pricing. I was in Vegas last week and the Ford dealer has one $10K over MSRP due to "market adjustment." But if you really want to see price gouging that should be reported to the California AG, look at the prices on RR at Future Ford in Sacramento. Out here in Kansas, many dealers are taking at least $1000 off MSRP right now. One dealer near Wichita has $2000 off. You might think about an Internet deal and delivery, selling your Mav to Carmax or similar. Shipping open carrier or closed might be worth it. Or driving or flying to pick it it up. You can also call Granger Ford in Granger, Iowa, near Des Moines. Can't hurt to see what they can do, as they work with buyers all over the place. They once were selling F150s 4% below invoice. And they take trades. Don't know if a California RR is different from any other emissions-wise.

 

[Dino Jockey]

Like several have said…. Your money and u spend how u want. I had a 2023 Bronco WT / Sasquatch pkg with over 10k in upgrades and it had 36k miles. Drive it to Moab and wheeled it and found it to be an incredible vehicle. However, i made the decision to bite the bullet and trade in for the RR. Did i lose money? Yes. But for me, it was an upgrade with the capabilities I needed. I no longer have the need to do crazy off road stuff and the RR is truly an amusement park on wheels.

 

[josephp732]

The West has gone stupid on RR pricing. I was in Vegas last week and the Ford dealer has one $10K over MSRP due to "market." But if you really want to see price gouging that should be reported to the Calfornia AG, look at the prices on RR at Future Ford in Sacramento. Out here in Kansas, many dealers are taking at least $1000 off MSRP right now. One dealer near Wichita has $2000 off. You might think about an Internet deal and delivery, selling your Mav to Carmax or similar. Shipping open carrier or closed might be worth it. Or driving to pick it it up. You can also call Granger Ford in Granger, Iowa, near Des Moines. Can't hurt to see what they can do, as they work with buyers all over the place. They once were selling F150s 4% below invoice. And they take trades. Don't know if a California RR is different from any other emissions-wise.

I fully agree with this strategy. I would do a private sale on the Maverick, I don't think you'd take a crushing hit. Then I would buy a RR based on price, not on dealer location. Here on the east coast there is some light discounting. As you mentioned I would 100% buy from a Kansas dealer and arrange my own shipping.

 

[Rougarou]

I’m a NorCal resident and when researching I had to keep expanding my search Eastward until I found a dealer in Kansas (Moller Ford) that would due a deal at $1K below sticker. Like others said, most dealers were asking $10K above sticker before the inevitable add-ons. You can read my fly and drive report. A word of caution about shipping, I couldn’t find anyone who could get a timely enclosed trailer shipment for under $2.5K. Kansas is not on the main route for these shippers and would require a substantial diversion to pick up the vehicle which is why the price is high. After dealing with multiple brokers over a 2 week period, I finally decided to go pick up Dorothy myself and had an epic drive back.

 

[DrIanMalcolm]

I’m a NorCal resident and when researching I had to keep expanding my search Eastward until I found a dealer in Kansas (Moller Ford) that would due a deal at $1K below sticker. Like others said, most dealers were asking $10K above sticker before the inevitable add-ons. You can read my fly and drive report. A word of caution about shipping, I couldn’t find anyone who could get a timely enclosed trailer shipment for under $2.5K. Kansas is not on the main route for these shippers and would require a substantial diversion to pick up the vehicle which is why the price is high. After dealing with multiple brokers over a 2 week period, I finally decided to go pick up Dorothy myself and had an epic drive back.

Great story! Love the Dorothy nickname.

 

[fordtrks4ever]

So, there are a lot of stories and here is mine

In 2024 I purchased a Ranger Lariat 2.3, advanced trailer package, FX4, sprayed bed,
nice truck did everything I needed and I had no loan on it. I wanted a V6 and was not available
when I purchased, Figured I would wait until 2026 or 2027 to get a 2.7 Ranger.
With prices going up for 2026 and maybe parts issues I found a dealer near me selling 2025
Ranger Raptors at dealer invoice. They gave me a fair price for the 2024 due to low mileage used vehicles are in high demand and I love the Ranger Raptor makes me smile when I drive it.
Figured if I can afford the Raptor I can afford the fuel. It all comes down to your needs and
financial situation. Best of luck in what ever you decide.

Sponsored