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The Ford Maverick sold over 130,000 units last year, a near 40% increase over the pickup’s sales numbers in 2023. The compact pickup has become such a common sight on American highways, it’s almost hard to believe that it was introduced four short years ago, in the summer of 2021 for the 2022 model year, but it’s not surprising that the truck turned out to be a hit. Americans have been asking for smaller pickups for a while, now, and anyone could have seen the Maverick’s success coming a mile away. Likewise, the oncoming slew of competing small trucks was an easy trend to predict.

Now that the truck is nearly half a decade old, you might be thinking it would be the perfect time to buy a used model and save a few thousand bucks while the powertrain is still relatively fresh. Well, that sounds like a good idea, but these pickups have turned out to be slow depreciators in their first few years, so you might want to hold off just a little bit longer. Here’s what you need to know…

Ford Maverick Prices Should Be Dropping Any Day Now

Ford

The Ford Maverick is likely to experience the same five-year fall-off you see in the vast majority of used models. But, we’re standing right on the precipice of that drop, like that stomach-knotting lurch right before the roller-coaster climbs over the first big hump.

CarEdge suggests that a Ford Maverick should hold 64.29% of its initial value after four years, and 56.90% of its value after the first five. After a decade, the truck will hold about 34.21% of its value.

Kelley Blue Book Tells A Slightly Different Story

Ford

According to CarEdge, the first major drop-off in fair market pricing should occur any day now. Yep, any day now… But if we look at Kelley Blue Book, it seems like that tipping point is still a little ways off…

These numbers are based on national averages, and KBB assumes around 15,000 miles per year, though that can vary with location and other factors. What we’re seeing here is that the numbers have barely moved, and the mid-range XLT was actually cheaper right off the lot than it is right now, according to the Blue Book.

Heading on over to AutoTempest, we see pretty much the same numbers…

• A 2022 Lariat is listed for sale in California at $26,994 with just 12,487 miles on the odometer.
• A 2022 XL is selling for $24,000 in California with 48,000 miles on the odometer.
• A 2022 XLT is listed at $26,990 in Arizona with 46,496 miles on the odometer.
• A 2022 XLT is listed at $27,595 in California with 21,226 miles on the odometer.
• A 2022 XLT is listed at $25,990 with 43,997 miles on the odometer in Virginia.

We’re only providing these numbers to give you an idea of what the market looks like at the moment. You’ll need to run your own search to find out what’s available in your area at the moment.

Sometimes, KBB’s estimates are a bit off in comparison to the actual prices people are asking for a given vehicle. They’re looking at broad averages, after all. In this instance, the Blue Book appears to be spot on. These trucks launched in the $20,000-$30,000 range, and they’re still selling in the $20,000-$30,000 range.

If you’re after a used Maverick, the smart thing to do at the moment would be to hold off. At the very least, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to wait and see how the first round of deliveries for the 2026 Ford Maverick, late this year or early next year, will affect 2022 Ford Maverick prices before you go buying anything.

The Ford Maverick Has Proven To Be Fairly Low Maintenance

Ford

Whether a pickup is one, two, three, or 20 years old, you want to know that it’s built to go the distance. The Maverick, in its first four years on the road, has proven to be a trooper. RepairPal estimates an annual maintenance cost of just $775, with the following accounting for the most expensive common repairs…

• Turbocharger oil line replacement $931- $1,341
• Fuel evaporative canister replacement $394 – $452
• Backup warning system sensor replacement $304 – $349
• Wheel hub assembly replacement $299 – $349
• Camshaft position sensor replacement $77 – $110

The 2023 Ford Maverick Is Actually More Problematic Than The 2022 Ford Maverick

Ford

According to CarComplaints, the most troubled iteration of the Ford Maverick thus far is actually the 2023 model year. This is a bit unusual, as it’s usually the first model year in any generation that has the most problems, as the automaker is still working out those first-year bugs. The 2023 Maverick has seven complaints on file, while the 2022 Maverick has just four complaints on the record.

The Maverick’s most worrying issue comes down to a single complaint for surging and lurching, with the driver reporting the problem at 31,000 miles, but opting not to include any information on the cause of the problem or how it was fixed. The NHTSA shows a number of powertrain complaints for similar problems, including one driver who reports the truck surging when going uphill.

The Maverick’s hybrid powertrain has seen six recalls for loss of drive power owing to software hiccups, mostly from undetected low battery, but it’s unclear if there’s a connection between this issue and the complaints for lurching and surging.

In any event, the truck has seen 25 recalls in total as of the time of this writing, so check the VIN, take it for a test drive, and make sure the previous owner has been getting those issues taken care of.

What Else Will $25,000 Buy You?

Chevrolet

We can roughly hash out the ballpark price of a 2022 Ford Maverick to around $25,000, by averaging the fair market value out across all three trims, and rounding that to the nearest thousand. We’ve already said that the smart thing to do is to wait it out and see what these prices look like in a couple months, but if you’ve got to have something to drive right now, here’s what else you can grab in this price range, assuming a base model unless otherwise noted…

If you’ve got anywhere from $22,000 to $27,000 to spend on a used pickup, a 2022 Maverick’s not a bad choice, but you’ll be kicking yourself if you spend like-new money on a four-year-old truck only to see the price plummet to $21,000 in December, especially when you could have spent the same money on a similarly-aged F-150 or Tacoma, or you could have simply bought a brand-new Maverick for not much more. We put this pickup at the top of our cheap trucks list for a reason, after all.

Of course, the Maverick is still in its first generation, and we can’t guarantee that it won’t continue to retain its value beyond all expectations, like certain Toyotas. We’re just saying… let’s wait and see.

Sources: Ford, Kelley Blue Book, CarComplaints, NHTSA, RepairPal, CarEdge, AutoTempest.