Ford Maverick

IK04 said:
The Maverick was one of the best looking Ford cars ever made. Too bad it was produced during the pre-fuel injection, smogged to death, union-made junk era... It was the standard graduation or birthday gift for every 16 year old girl in the US.
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We had a customer back in the mid 80s that had a '69 4 door Maverick, barf green in color, that he installed a 429 in it. After he tore out several stock rear ends we built a 9 inch rear for him and redid the suspension so it would hook up. That thing would just walk away from almost every big block Camaro. Wish I had a cell phone camera back then.
 
Looks like it’s a spin-off of the new BRONCO. Interior looks the same, well a bit nicer IMO. Appears Ford and the others are looking to steel sales from Honda’s Ridgeline, which is due for a refresh, to make it look more truck like.
 
RyanB said:
I was a big fan of the Bronco, until I saw one in person and realized that it’s basically just a Jeep Renegade.
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I was quite disappointed when I saw one in the flesh. Nothing special and nothing remotely paying homage to the old Bronco.

The newer versions of the Mini, the Beetle and the Fiat 500 all do a respectable job of invoking the earlier models in their overall shape. And like the new Bronco, the newer Thunderbirds failed in that regard as well.
 
FastEddieB said:
I was quite disappointed when I saw one in the flesh. Nothing special and nothing remotely paying homage to the old Bronco.

The newer versions of the Mini, the Beetle and the Fiat 500 all do a respectable job of invoking the earlier models in their overall shape. And like the new Bronco, the newer Thunderbirds failed in that regard as well.
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@RyanB you're talking about the Bronco Sport which is NOT the new bronco. That's just a dressed up escape. The real Bronco hasn't yet been delivered to my knowledge.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
@RyanB you're talking about the Bronco Sport which is NOT the new bronco. That's just a dressed up escape. The real Bronco hasn't yet been delivered to my knowledge.
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Like @FastEddieB, I didn’t realize there were two different models, but ya, I was referring to the Sport.
 
How many folks remember this Maverick.??

james-garner-in-bret-maverick-tv-1981--album.jpg
 
Also reminds me of the Subaru Baja, which didn't last through many model years.
 
Was unaware Gabrielle Union "does stuff"
 
FastEddieB said:
What I wouldn’t give for a new Nova!
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Or anything from the Pontiac lineage. GTO, Firebird, Trans am, G8...I still would like to find a solstice GXP coupe one of these days. My dad was talking about his first car the other day. A Chevy II Nova with a 6 cylinder.
 
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RyanB said:
Hm?
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"The maverick is made for people who do stuff and make stuff, people like Gabrielle Union." Just seemed odd.
I know her name, but have never actually seen anything she's done. And when I think of people doing stuff, I don't think of actresses or activists.
 
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FastEddieB said:
I was quite disappointed when I saw one in the flesh. Nothing special and nothing remotely paying homage to the old Bronco.

The newer versions of the Mini, the Beetle and the Fiat 500 all do a respectable job of invoking the earlier models in their overall shape. And like the new Bronco, the newer Thunderbirds failed in that regard as well.
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The first ‘newer’ Thunderbird was in 1958. I dunno if it ‘failed’ so to speak, but it just didn’t seem to be Tbird anymore. Now here’s a Tbird.

 
I consider the '57 T-bird the best looking one ever.

Remember the 1970 Thunderbird that was designed by a guy Ford hired away from Pontiac that had a distinctive Pontiac look.??

70_Ford_Thunderbird_manu-02-1024.jpg
 
Racerx said:
"The maverick is made for people who do stuff and make stuff, people like Gabrielle Union." Just seemed odd.
I know her name, but have never actually seen anything she's done. And when I think of people doing stuff, I don't think of actresses or activists.
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That she’s listed in the 100 most influential women says a lot about just how screwed we are in American today.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
That she’s listed in the 100 most influential women says a lot about just how screwed we are in American today.
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Exactly. Like how people want a guy known as "The Rock" to run for president. Despite never running or managing anything in any capacity.
 
Racerx said:
"The maverick is made for people who do stuff and make stuff, people like Gabrielle Union." Just seemed odd.
I know her name, but have never actually seen anything she's done. And when I think of people doing stuff, I don't think of actresses or activists.
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One better than me. I haven't even heard her name.
 
Zeldman said:
That is what I thought of when I first saw this. Just a reincarnation of the old Ford Ranchero. For folks that want the comfort and ease driving of a car, yet need to look like a citified redneck....



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I don't know about a "citified redneck". The farmer I drove truck for during wheat harvest in 1973 drove one, as well. And he was anything but "citified".

If I were in the market for a pickup truck today it would still have to be like one I had back in the late 1970s / early 1980s. One that would take a 4x8 sheet of plywood (multiple sheets) flat in the bed. Anything else is a waste of time, effort and money.
 
Ghery said:
If I were in the market for a pickup truck today it would still have to be like one I had back in the late 1970s / early 1980s. One that would take a 4x8 sheet of plywood (multiple sheets) flat in the bed. Anything else is a waste of time, effort and money.
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Being able to haul 4x8 sheets is one of my requirements as well. But it seems like Ford thought of that. My current truck is Frontier which I've been very happy with. And I prop 4x8 sheets over the closed tailgate all the time. Not elegant but it works. Ford's solution actually looks like it would be easier to manage. I was not in the market for a new truck, but I may consider one of these.

2022-ford-maverick-12.jpeg
 
Once the first of those get up in years, you'll see plenty of them towing around small landscaping trailers with mowers and weed-whackers. Something has to replace the 20 year old Rangers that do that job right now.
 
Ghery said:
I don't know about a "citified redneck". The farmer I drove truck for during wheat harvest in 1973 drove one, as well. And he was anything but "citified".
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The rancher that lived down the road from us had a '70 SS El Camino that I would have done anything to have. It was ''loaded'' with P/S, A/T, power brakes and power steering and also something unheard of, A/C. But the icing on the cake was the LS6 454 that was advertised at only 450 hp. It was his vehicle to use when running errands into town.
 
Juliet Hotel said:
Being able to haul 4x8 sheets is one of my requirements as well. But it seems like Ford thought of that. My current truck is Frontier which I've been very happy with. And I prop 4x8 sheets over the closed tailgate all the time. Not elegant but it works. Ford's solution actually looks like it would be easier to manage. I was not in the market for a new truck, but I may consider one of these.

2022-ford-maverick-12.jpeg
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The elevated tailgate has been a thing for a long time. Kuddos to Ford for marketing it but I’ve been wrapping the tailgate cables of Chevrolets around the striker pin for years to hold it slightly up.


There will be plenty of “it’s not a real truck” haters yet it is just as capable as your fathers 89 F-150 ever was. Better brakes, more HP, more tq, and probably a stiffer structure despite being a unibody.
 
geezer said:
<SNIP>

The Maverick car was not much of a success, but most of the target customers were not born then, and by the time they were old enough to drive, most of the cars were gone. The legacy name connotations are not going to be an issue, as long as the performance is reasonable, and the truck pleasant to drive.

The issue with the small bed is one that creative owners will overcome in a variety of ways. I once carried 8, 20 foot long, mansard wood trusses, half on each side of my 8 foot bed Chevy pickup truck. The front ends of the trusses were at the front bumper . I climbed through the window to get in or out, had flags on all 4 corners. Combined with some lumber in the bed, the 3/4 ton springs were nearly touching the frame.

People who really need to haul something large will get similarly creative to make it work. I have seen some very slick compromises at the building supply stores as home owners create ways to get home with items that don't fit inside.


One of my sons bought a first year Ranger pickup, with the 2 liter economy engine and 5 speed manual trans. For city use and commuting it was outstanding. Ford should have kept that truck as it was for size, it was nearly the same as the new Maverick.
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Ford sold 2.1 million Mavericks between 1969 and 1977. I'd say that qualifies as a success. I don't remember much about them because they didn't stand out. I do remember the the name, and that the Nova was Chevy's compact at the time. As far as the rest of the compacts at the time, I recall don't recall them at all.
 
FormerHangie said:
Ford sold 2.1 million Mavericks between 1969 and 1977. I'd say that qualifies as a success. I don't remember much about them because they didn't stand out. I do remember the the name, and that the Nova was Chevy's compact at the time. As far as the rest of the compacts at the time, I recall don't recall them at all.
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Dodge sold quite a few Darts ... a pretty good car. There was the similar Plymouth Valiant. GM had the Chevy Nova, Olds Omega, Pontiac Ventura and Buick Apollo, the latter three just rebadged Novas (Novae?) N-O-V-A ... get it? :rolleyes:

And who can forget the AMC Pacer and Gremlin? (I know, we're still trying)
 
Pilawt said:
Dodge sold quite a few Darts ... a pretty good car. There was the similar Plymouth Valiant. GM had the Chevy Nova, Olds Omega, Pontiac Ventura and Buick Apollo, the latter three just rebadged Novas (Novae?) N-O-V-A ... get it? :rolleyes:

And who can forget the AMC Pacer and Gremlin? (I know, we're still trying)
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or Chevy Vega
 
Bob Noel said:
or Chevy Vega
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I had a '72 Vega with two-speed Powerglide. I liked it ... until the head gasket blew at 35,000 miles.

Also had a new '73 Nova Six ($2888 off the showroom floor), and inherited my grandfather's 1968 Dodge Dart Slant Six. But my 1966 and 1969 VW Beetles were better than all of them.
 
Bob Noel said:
or Chevy Vega
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Don't pick on the Vega. I had V8 Vega IMCA dirt car for a short time. I sold it along with the rest of my race equipment to afford flight training.

Ok, the only stock parts on it was the roof and outer door skins and the steering wheel....
 
Pilawt said:
Dodge sold quite a few Darts ... a pretty good car. There was the similar Plymouth Valiant. GM had the Chevy Nova, Olds Omega, Pontiac Ventura and Buick Apollo, the latter three just rebadged Novas (Novae?) N-O-V-A ... get it? :rolleyes:

And who can forget the AMC Pacer and Gremlin? (I know, we're still trying)
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I did driver's ed in a Gremlin. It drove pretty much like any other American car of the time. I have no recollection of the Dodge Dart, although I do remember the Valiant from its oddly styled 1960's version.

690012_20649669_1962_Plymouth_Valiant3.jpg
 
FormerHangie said:
I did driver's ed in a Gremlin. It drove pretty much like any other American car of the time. I have no recollection of the Dodge Dart, although I do remember the Valiant from its oddly styled 1960's version.

690012_20649669_1962_Plymouth_Valiant3.jpg
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My dad had a black Valiant, minus the red trim. I learned to drive in a Dodge Swinger (the "i" was dotted with a flower). It was an 8 cylinder with good acceleration. I thought all cars after that were a little anemic.
 
FormerHangie said:
I did driver's ed in a Gremlin. It drove pretty much like any other American car of the time. I have no recollection of the Dodge Dart, although I do remember the Valiant from its oddly styled 1960's version.

690012_20649669_1962_Plymouth_Valiant3.jpg
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If I ever decide to get a classic car, a Valiant of that vintage would be on my short list. The shape was reminiscent of the older Citroen’s. Not many still around in decent shape, however.
 
I guess if I started drinking lattes and could grow a man bun it would be an OK city "truck". You might be able to throw a dead dear in the back and make it look more truck like.

Honestly I see them selling a lot of these.

My first car was a '77 for Pinto my dad bought at the county auction for $500. Actually wasn't a bad car and pretty easy to work on.
 
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