Ford is Finally Bringing Back My Car (the New Ford Maverick)

# Ford Maverick Revival: A Nostalgic Journey with a Modern Twist

## The Return of the Ford Maverick

It’s no secret that Ford is bringing back the Maverick, and for those who remember the original, it’s an exciting yet bittersweet moment. I myself owned a 1970 Ford Maverick. I paid just $550 for it, and while it required constant repairs—thanks to my career as a mechanic—I had a blast driving it across the country and back. The Maverick was a fun, affordable car, especially for those who couldn’t afford a Mustang but still wanted a piece of Ford’s iconic performance heritage.

Fast forward to today, Ford is reviving the Maverick name, but with a twist. They’re reportedly working on a compact pickup truck, possibly built on the Ford unibody frame, similar to the Ford Edge. However, this new Maverick doesn’t seem to have much in common with the original car. Just like how the electric Mustang is an SUV and has nothing to do with the classic muscle car, the new Maverick is expected to be more of a small truck or SUV.

To me, this feels like a misuse of the name. The original Maverick was a car, not a pickup truck. It was a budget-friendly option for those who couldn’t afford a Mustang but still wanted a stylish and fun-to-drive vehicle. If Ford isn’t planning to make a proper Maverick pickup truck, why call it a Maverick at all? The bed size alone is rumored to be only 24 to 30 inches, which is practically useless for any practical purpose.

Ford seems to be doubling down on nostalgia marketing, using the Maverick name as a way to compete with vehicles like the Toyota Tacoma, which has dominated the small truck segment for years. But honestly, I don’t think this is a smart move. Ford’s Ranger sales have been struggling, and unless they’re planning to sell these new Mavericks at dirt-cheap prices, they’re unlikely to make much of an impact against the Tacoma, which has a well-deserved reputation for reliability and durability.

## Nostalgia vs. Practicality: The Ford Maverick Debate

Back in my day, Ford versus Chevy debates were fierce, but those days are long gone. Today’s buyers are looking for quality and longevity, not just brand loyalty. I’ve been working on cars for 52 years, and I can tell you firsthand that younger people don’t care about the nameplate as much as older generations did. They want a dependable vehicle with modern electronics that won’t break down.

Ford’s decision to revive the Maverick name feels like they’re living in a fantasy world. The big trucks like the F-150 are still massive successes, but when it comes to smaller trucks, Ford has struggled. Using the Maverick name on a compact pickup truck feels like an attempt to cash in on nostalgia without offering anything substantial.

If Ford isn’t going to make a proper Maverick pickup truck, they shouldn’t even consider calling it a Maverick. The name deserves better than being slapped onto a vehicle that doesn’t respect its legacy.

## Safety Recall: Takata Airbags Still a Danger

While we’re on the topic of nostalgia, let’s talk about another issue that’s been lingering for years: defective Takata airbags. Earlier this year, a 2002 Honda Civic with one of these recalled airbags caused the 17th death in the United States. This particular airbag was part of the massive 56 million-unit recall since 2013, which remains the largest automotive recall in U.S. history.

The problem lies in the airbags’ propensity to deploy with shrapnel, causing serious injury or even death. The vehicle involved in this case was one of seven “alpha” Honda models from the early 2000s, known for their frontal airbags that had a 50% chance of failing. At least 26 people worldwide have died due to these defective airbags, and several others have been injured.

Honda settled with 46 U.S. states for $85 million in 2020 after knowing about the defect for years and failing to act. The automaker was fined a billion dollars by the U.S. government, but despite all this, nearly 30% of vehicles with these airbags remain unrepaired. If you own one of these older Honda models, I’d recommend disconnecting or disabling the airbag as a precaution. Mechanics might be hesitant to do so due to legal concerns, but if safety is your priority, it’s worth considering.

## Used Car Buying Guide: Honda Odyssey vs. Toyota Sienna

Now, onto some advice for those looking to buy used vehicles. Matthew 667 asked about the reliability of a used Honda Odyssey from 2010 to 2018. Based on my experience, I’d steer clear of these models. The automatic transmissions in these Odysseys were notoriously unreliable, and they also had issues with the V6 engine’s camshafts wearing out prematurely. Additionally, as these vehicles age, they develop electronic air conditioning problems, which can be costly to fix.

If you’re set on buying a Honda, do your research carefully and check for known transmission issues in the specific year you’re considering. However, I’d strongly recommend looking at Toyota Sienna instead. While it might cost more upfront, the Sienna is far superior in terms of build quality and reliability. It’s simply not worth the hassle of dealing with the Odyssey’s notorious problems.

## First Car Buyer’s Dilemma: Nissan Maxima vs. Toyota Camry

For young buyers like Five Quiz Awards, who are deciding between a 2010 Nissan Maxima and a 2010 Toyota Camry, I’d lean toward the Camry every time. Both cars were excellent when new, but as they age, the Maxima tends to become a money pit. Issues like bad catalytic converters, failing transmissions, and blown head gaskets are common in older Maximas.

On the other hand, the Camry has proven to be much more reliable over the years. While it might cost slightly more, it’s far less likely to leave you stranded or require expensive repairs down the line. If longevity and reliability are your priorities, the Camry is the clear choice.

## Big SUV Comparison: Ford Expedition vs. GM Tahoe/Suburban/Yukon

Anthony Zingali asked about the reliability of new Ford Expedition with a 3.5L EcoBoost engine versus GM’s Tahoe, Suburban, and Yukon with their 5.3L V8 engines. Here’s my take: if you’re looking for long-term durability, go with the GM vehicles. The V8 engine is generally more reliable than the EcoBoost, which has a history of issues as it ages, especially with its twin turbochargers and direct fuel injection system.

While both options are overpriced, I’d recommend the GM trucks if you’re willing to settle for 100,000 miles before trading in. However, if you want something that will last far beyond that, consider looking into more reliable brands like Toyota or Honda instead.

## Brake Noise: A Common Problem and How to Fix It

George Mo Eagle shared his experience with a noise coming from his brakes after replacing the pads and rotors. The issue turned out to be cheap brake pads that were slightly too thick, causing a rubbing sound at around 30 mph. If you ever find yourself in this situation, here’s my advice:

1. **Check Installation**: Make sure the pads are installed correctly. I’ve seen cases where people accidentally put them on backward, leading to similar noise issues.

2. **Consider Upgrading**: If noise bothers you, invest in higher-quality brake pads like Akebono ceramic pads. They might cost around $40 compared to cheaper options at $20, but they’re quieter and more reliable.

I learned this lesson decades ago when I installed a cheap pair of pads on my Toyota Corolla SR5. The noise lasted six months before it finally went away, but the extra $19 I saved wasn’t worth the inconvenience.

## Final Thoughts: Quality Over Nostalgia

As we’ve discussed, Ford’s decision to revive the Maverick name is a bit puzzling. While nostalgia can be a powerful marketing tool, it shouldn’t come at the expense of practicality and quality. The same goes for any vehicle purchase—whether you’re buying new or used, prioritize reliability over branding.

If you want a dependable vehicle that will last years, consider brands with proven track records like Toyota, Honda, or Lexus. And always do your research before committing to any vehicle, especially if it’s used.

As always, thanks for tuning in! If you found this article helpful, don’t forget to ring the bell and subscribe for more car repair tips and advice. Drop a comment below if you have any questions or share your own experiences with these vehicles. See you next time!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enyes it's true ford is bringing back the ford maverick i had a ford maverick 1970. i paid 550 bucks for it i drove it from one side of the country to the other back now and again hey a lot of things broke on it i've kept fixing them i am a mechanic after all you back in 1975 when i bought it as a used car i was a mechanic so i knew how to fix things but i had a lot of fun in that maverick now of course it's just the beginning i test them out they say it's going to be short and low to the ground it can handle better that way to me it looks like it's not going to have much to do with the original ford maverick just like the mustang their electric car has nothing to do with the ford mustang it's an suv and this it looks like it's going to be kind of like an suv nobody knows for sure but it looks like it's going to be built on a ford unibody frame like a ford edge it's gonna be more suv or a tiny truck it really looks like they're gonna be making a compact pickup truck and call it the ford map it's a total misuse of the name maverick the maverick was a car it was like a cheap version of the mustang the people that couldn't afford a mustang they made the maverick which was an even cheaper car had a lot of similarities and then you could get a v8 and or six either just like in a mustang looks like they're gonna be making a compact pickup truck and call it a ford maverick to me that has nothing to do with the maverick and again they're just misusing the name taking a name that people like maverick and putting it on a completely different vehicle which to me is kind of silly because the maverick was not a pickup truck and if they're not going to make ford maverick pickup trucks they shouldn't even call them mavericks the bed's only going to be 24 to 30 inches a tiny little bed in the back which is pretty much useless so they're taking the name from a car putting it on a truck but then making the bed really short so you can't really use it as a truck bad enough that the electric mustang is called mustang when it has nothing to do with a mustang it's an suv that anybody can see it's an suv and they're just putting the name mustang on it uh here they're taking the maverick i was hoping they would make mavericks again hey i might have gone out and bought one who knows they're just calling a little pickup truck maverick i guess they're trying to pull all stops off because if you look at the sales of ford rangers lately it's been garbage their ranger sales have been going down the toilet they sell tons of f-150s the big trucks but they failed in the smaller trucks so now they're trying to use the name maverick to compete against the likes of the toyota tacoma that is blowing them away with sales i don't advise ford to compete in small pickup trucks against toyota the quality is too much differential unless they sell these things dirt cheap are competing against the toyota tacomas that have such a history of lasting forever the rangers and the tacomas have been going head-to-head for a long time and obviously the tacomas have just kicked their butts and have oversold them by tons now i guess ford's trying to dig up a name stick it on a pickup truck and call it a maverick with a small little bed i know sometimes i wonder what these people on the top are thinking you know they're living in a fantasy world and just thinking that a name will sell something these days things are a lot different than they were when i was young yeah ford versus chevy you know everybody's battling back and forth well those days are all gone now people are looking for quality that's going to last and they don't care what the name on it is i've been working on cars for 52 years i know my customers now the old guys yeah they might be still arguing ford versus chevy but all the young people they want a dependable bit of transportation that has the electronics in it they want that's going to last and not break down and they really don't care what the name is on the outside so i think ford's kind of living in the pasture putting the name maverick on a small pickup truck in a segment that basically they've been failing for quite some time now like i say the big trucks f-150s massive success making small ones just using an old famous name i don't think that's such a smart move well here we go those takata airbags are still out there a defective takata airbag caused the 17th death in the united states this was a 2002 honda civic now this particular airbag was one of the 56 million recalled takata airbags since 2013 which of course is the biggest recall in u.s automotive history in this case of course it was the shrapnel they'd run into shrapnel and kill the person so me if i had one of those old ones i would probably just disconnect it and use the seat belt seat bugs work quite well now this particular car was one of seven what they call alpha honda models from the early 2000s with the frontal airbags that have a problem with the shrapnel killing people according to statistics these alpha cars have a 50 chance of their airbags failing 50 so if you do own one an airbag hasn't been changed taken in and get it changed for free now at least 26 people have died worldwide and several hunters are injured from these airbag inflators and the bizarre thing is that nearly all of them are older honda vehicles i guess the combination of takata and honda didn't work out too well now shortly after this person was killed in arizona 2020 honda settled with 46 u.s states or 85 million bucks for its involvement in these air big inflators the automaker has reportedly known about the defect for years and didn't do anything about it the car itself is bankrupt after it was fined a billion dollars by the u.s about 30 percent of cars in the u.s that have those have not been repaired so there's a lot of people out there that have these airbags that have not been repaired so if you got one you might go get it repaired or you might just have a mechanic well most mechanics won't disconnect it because there's too much legal stuff involved but if you don't want to take it in you might be better off just disconnecting the airbag unplugging or taking the airbag fuse out leaving it alone especially when you're that old 2002 19 year old car i wouldn't expect it to work then anyways the problem is they corrode and stuff and then shrapnel comes out and of course the older they are the more corroded they are the more they will result in shrapnel because they're old and rusted and then the pieces fly out just what you want old rusted metal flying into your face so if you got one of those take it in or just disconnect the stupid thing matthew 667 says i'm looking to buy a used honda odyssey i'm looking at 2010 to 18 do you recommend them all right i don't recommend them for two main reasons they had horrendous automatic transmissions that broke down they had problems with the cams on the v6 engines wearing out you got to replace the engine and as they age they have electronic air conditioning problems i personally would not buy one if i were you i'd look at a 2010 to 2018 toyota sienna it's five times the vehicle that the honda is but if you must buy a honda search the years you're looking at and see if those did have transmission problems because i know 2010s did the 18s maybe not i wouldn't buy one anyways the toyota sienna vans are built so much better and it's not like you're saying well i want to buy an american product so i want ford or chevy or chrysler you know you're talking about japanese now already so why not go toyota sienna which are much better than the odysseys in the first place five quiz awards says scotty i'm 17 i'm getting ready to buy my first car should i buy a 2010 nissan maxima or a toyota camry oh by the camera it's going to last tons longer now when they were both brand new they were both excellent cars the nissan maxima rides nice fast cars a little faster than the camry but as they age the nissan they become endless money pits the catalytic converters go bad the transmissions go out the engines blow head gaskets the cameras don't have any of those problems so if you're going between a 2010 use maximum a 2010 camry get the camera you're gonna have to pay more for the camry there's no arguing that but it's gonna last a whole bunch longer anthony zingali says scotty what's more reliable choice for a big three row suv brand new ford expedition with a 3.5 ecoboost with a gm tahoe suburban yukon with a 5.3 liter l84 v8 personally i wouldn't buy either those cars they're both overpriced i would not buy an expedition with a v6 engine with the ecoboost because those ecoboost engines as they age they have problems now if you're the type of guy who buys a vehicle keeps it for less than a hundred thousand miles you could buy either of them and they might be okay right if you want it to last a really long time i wouldn't buy either those now if you have to and you have no other choice i get the gm with the v8 because the v8 generally is going to last longer than an ecoboost v6 with two turbochargers and gdi fuel injection that's just how it goes in long life but as i said if you're gonna pay all that money and you're happy with 100 000 miles you could probably buy either of them and you might be happy until you decided well it's gotten 100 000 miles i'm going to sell it now and you'll find out you'll get nothing for it then you wish you'd listen to me and bought a more quality vehicle like a lexus toyota or a honda cost a little bit more but it's going to last a lot longer george mo eagle says scotty i just replaced my front pads and rotors and now when i drive i hear a noise coming from the left side when i drive down the road seems to be a loudest at about 30 miles an hour it almost sounds like a piece of paper is rubbing against something what could it be you changed the pads and rotors if you bought cheap pads they're often a little too thick and you'll hear a rubbing sound now you want to jack it up make sure everything is put on right believe it or not i've seen i knew a guy once and he put the brake pads on backwards they will actually fit a lot of cars backwards but then you're going to hear rubbing noises because they're in backwards they will stop the car but they'll start to make noises make sure it was put on right i did that once with cheap pads on my old toyota corolla sr5 decades ago and uh that rubbing noise just went went went and it went for like six months and then it went away just as a cheap pair 995 pads back in the day and i didn't care they stopped the car but they did make noise and then after about six months they didn't if you do not like noise when you do a brake job take my advice buy acker bono ake bono it's a japanese company but they make brake pads for all kinds of cars the akabona ceramic pads are so well made you pay more they're like 40 bucks instead of 20. what's 20 they don't make any noise they stop great you won't have any problems so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that bell youyes it's true ford is bringing back the ford maverick i had a ford maverick 1970. i paid 550 bucks for it i drove it from one side of the country to the other back now and again hey a lot of things broke on it i've kept fixing them i am a mechanic after all you back in 1975 when i bought it as a used car i was a mechanic so i knew how to fix things but i had a lot of fun in that maverick now of course it's just the beginning i test them out they say it's going to be short and low to the ground it can handle better that way to me it looks like it's not going to have much to do with the original ford maverick just like the mustang their electric car has nothing to do with the ford mustang it's an suv and this it looks like it's going to be kind of like an suv nobody knows for sure but it looks like it's going to be built on a ford unibody frame like a ford edge it's gonna be more suv or a tiny truck it really looks like they're gonna be making a compact pickup truck and call it the ford map it's a total misuse of the name maverick the maverick was a car it was like a cheap version of the mustang the people that couldn't afford a mustang they made the maverick which was an even cheaper car had a lot of similarities and then you could get a v8 and or six either just like in a mustang looks like they're gonna be making a compact pickup truck and call it a ford maverick to me that has nothing to do with the maverick and again they're just misusing the name taking a name that people like maverick and putting it on a completely different vehicle which to me is kind of silly because the maverick was not a pickup truck and if they're not going to make ford maverick pickup trucks they shouldn't even call them mavericks the bed's only going to be 24 to 30 inches a tiny little bed in the back which is pretty much useless so they're taking the name from a car putting it on a truck but then making the bed really short so you can't really use it as a truck bad enough that the electric mustang is called mustang when it has nothing to do with a mustang it's an suv that anybody can see it's an suv and they're just putting the name mustang on it uh here they're taking the maverick i was hoping they would make mavericks again hey i might have gone out and bought one who knows they're just calling a little pickup truck maverick i guess they're trying to pull all stops off because if you look at the sales of ford rangers lately it's been garbage their ranger sales have been going down the toilet they sell tons of f-150s the big trucks but they failed in the smaller trucks so now they're trying to use the name maverick to compete against the likes of the toyota tacoma that is blowing them away with sales i don't advise ford to compete in small pickup trucks against toyota the quality is too much differential unless they sell these things dirt cheap are competing against the toyota tacomas that have such a history of lasting forever the rangers and the tacomas have been going head-to-head for a long time and obviously the tacomas have just kicked their butts and have oversold them by tons now i guess ford's trying to dig up a name stick it on a pickup truck and call it a maverick with a small little bed i know sometimes i wonder what these people on the top are thinking you know they're living in a fantasy world and just thinking that a name will sell something these days things are a lot different than they were when i was young yeah ford versus chevy you know everybody's battling back and forth well those days are all gone now people are looking for quality that's going to last and they don't care what the name on it is i've been working on cars for 52 years i know my customers now the old guys yeah they might be still arguing ford versus chevy but all the young people they want a dependable bit of transportation that has the electronics in it they want that's going to last and not break down and they really don't care what the name is on the outside so i think ford's kind of living in the pasture putting the name maverick on a small pickup truck in a segment that basically they've been failing for quite some time now like i say the big trucks f-150s massive success making small ones just using an old famous name i don't think that's such a smart move well here we go those takata airbags are still out there a defective takata airbag caused the 17th death in the united states this was a 2002 honda civic now this particular airbag was one of the 56 million recalled takata airbags since 2013 which of course is the biggest recall in u.s automotive history in this case of course it was the shrapnel they'd run into shrapnel and kill the person so me if i had one of those old ones i would probably just disconnect it and use the seat belt seat bugs work quite well now this particular car was one of seven what they call alpha honda models from the early 2000s with the frontal airbags that have a problem with the shrapnel killing people according to statistics these alpha cars have a 50 chance of their airbags failing 50 so if you do own one an airbag hasn't been changed taken in and get it changed for free now at least 26 people have died worldwide and several hunters are injured from these airbag inflators and the bizarre thing is that nearly all of them are older honda vehicles i guess the combination of takata and honda didn't work out too well now shortly after this person was killed in arizona 2020 honda settled with 46 u.s states or 85 million bucks for its involvement in these air big inflators the automaker has reportedly known about the defect for years and didn't do anything about it the car itself is bankrupt after it was fined a billion dollars by the u.s about 30 percent of cars in the u.s that have those have not been repaired so there's a lot of people out there that have these airbags that have not been repaired so if you got one you might go get it repaired or you might just have a mechanic well most mechanics won't disconnect it because there's too much legal stuff involved but if you don't want to take it in you might be better off just disconnecting the airbag unplugging or taking the airbag fuse out leaving it alone especially when you're that old 2002 19 year old car i wouldn't expect it to work then anyways the problem is they corrode and stuff and then shrapnel comes out and of course the older they are the more corroded they are the more they will result in shrapnel because they're old and rusted and then the pieces fly out just what you want old rusted metal flying into your face so if you got one of those take it in or just disconnect the stupid thing matthew 667 says i'm looking to buy a used honda odyssey i'm looking at 2010 to 18 do you recommend them all right i don't recommend them for two main reasons they had horrendous automatic transmissions that broke down they had problems with the cams on the v6 engines wearing out you got to replace the engine and as they age they have electronic air conditioning problems i personally would not buy one if i were you i'd look at a 2010 to 2018 toyota sienna it's five times the vehicle that the honda is but if you must buy a honda search the years you're looking at and see if those did have transmission problems because i know 2010s did the 18s maybe not i wouldn't buy one anyways the toyota sienna vans are built so much better and it's not like you're saying well i want to buy an american product so i want ford or chevy or chrysler you know you're talking about japanese now already so why not go toyota sienna which are much better than the odysseys in the first place five quiz awards says scotty i'm 17 i'm getting ready to buy my first car should i buy a 2010 nissan maxima or a toyota camry oh by the camera it's going to last tons longer now when they were both brand new they were both excellent cars the nissan maxima rides nice fast cars a little faster than the camry but as they age the nissan they become endless money pits the catalytic converters go bad the transmissions go out the engines blow head gaskets the cameras don't have any of those problems so if you're going between a 2010 use maximum a 2010 camry get the camera you're gonna have to pay more for the camry there's no arguing that but it's gonna last a whole bunch longer anthony zingali says scotty what's more reliable choice for a big three row suv brand new ford expedition with a 3.5 ecoboost with a gm tahoe suburban yukon with a 5.3 liter l84 v8 personally i wouldn't buy either those cars they're both overpriced i would not buy an expedition with a v6 engine with the ecoboost because those ecoboost engines as they age they have problems now if you're the type of guy who buys a vehicle keeps it for less than a hundred thousand miles you could buy either of them and they might be okay right if you want it to last a really long time i wouldn't buy either those now if you have to and you have no other choice i get the gm with the v8 because the v8 generally is going to last longer than an ecoboost v6 with two turbochargers and gdi fuel injection that's just how it goes in long life but as i said if you're gonna pay all that money and you're happy with 100 000 miles you could probably buy either of them and you might be happy until you decided well it's gotten 100 000 miles i'm going to sell it now and you'll find out you'll get nothing for it then you wish you'd listen to me and bought a more quality vehicle like a lexus toyota or a honda cost a little bit more but it's going to last a lot longer george mo eagle says scotty i just replaced my front pads and rotors and now when i drive i hear a noise coming from the left side when i drive down the road seems to be a loudest at about 30 miles an hour it almost sounds like a piece of paper is rubbing against something what could it be you changed the pads and rotors if you bought cheap pads they're often a little too thick and you'll hear a rubbing sound now you want to jack it up make sure everything is put on right believe it or not i've seen i knew a guy once and he put the brake pads on backwards they will actually fit a lot of cars backwards but then you're going to hear rubbing noises because they're in backwards they will stop the car but they'll start to make noises make sure it was put on right i did that once with cheap pads on my old toyota corolla sr5 decades ago and uh that rubbing noise just went went went and it went for like six months and then it went away just as a cheap pair 995 pads back in the day and i didn't care they stopped the car but they did make noise and then after about six months they didn't if you do not like noise when you do a brake job take my advice buy acker bono ake bono it's a japanese company but they make brake pads for all kinds of cars the akabona ceramic pads are so well made you pay more they're like 40 bucks instead of 20. what's 20 they don't make any noise they stop great you won't have any problems so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that bell you\n"