Note from Stacey, Sunset North Car Wash Operations Manager:
Customers have thought we were really trying to oversell them when we have recommended that they detail a car that was only a few months old. So here’s a “detailed” explanation why that may be the right thing to do!
—————————————————————————————————————-
About a year and a half ago my current vehicle at the time started having issues with its timing belt. To fix it, the entire engine needed to be dropped out of the vehicle and the repair would have cost around $5,000. I decided to sell the vehicle to CarMax and I happened to score a pretty nice chunk of change, even with the engine issues. Around this time Ford had just released more information about the new Mavericks and some features really drew me in.
I always wanted a small truck and trucks like the Ranger or F150 were too large for me and how I would be using the vehicle. I personally do not tow anything, but I find myself wanting the versatility of a truck bed. I used to toss mulch, rocks, plants, wood, etc. in the back of my Taurus, and even with a blanket, I always found a way to make a mess. The truck bed really fixes this issue for me and will help keep the cab of the vehicle clean.
At the time when I was starting to look into a new vehicle, the car market was going crazy (and still is). Used cars were sky high and new cars are still near impossible to purchase without a “market adjustment” or an incredibly long wait time. The low price point (at the time $19,995) of the Maverick was a huge draw. Why would I spend $25,000 – $35,000 on a used vehicle with around 50K miles when I can buy something new that meets my needs for the same price.
Lastly, it had to be a Ford. Why? I am a bit of a homer here, but my father worked for Ford for 30 years and I grew up with them in the driveway. I always had a Ford and overall they have always treated me well. I love the new Bronco and down the road, I am looking to pick one up, but right now the price point, gas mileage, and features of the Maverick bumped it to the top of my list.
With all of that said, I knew I was in for a long wait when ordering and understood this before stepping into the dealership. It also did not help that I opted not only for the hybrid motor for the improved gas mileage, but I bumped up the trim to the XLT and threw in the LUX Package and Ford360. I knew all of these were constraints and would increase my overall delivery time. Just take a look at the timeline below for what I am talking about.
• Ordered: 7/2/21
• In Production: 5/26/22
• Built: 5/27/22
• Shipped: 5/28/22
• Delivered: 6/22/22 at local railyard. 7/7/22 at the local dealership.
• Pickup: 7/9/22
• 372 days.
Let me say that again, three hundred and seventy two days from the date of ordering for this vehicle to reach my local dealership. No emails from Ford during this time either, even though I called them to make sure my email address was listed correctly (which it was). Most of my general updates were coming from the folks over at Maverick Truck Club. If you have any interest in the Maverick I highly recommend heading over there. I was a lurker during this entire process and found information about building constraints, overall shipping speeds, how to track via railcar, and more. I was also lucky enough to have an old beater to use during this extended waiting time, but let me tell you the wait sucked. I found myself looking at used cars from other brands, many Bronco Sports, full size Broncos, even some older used Broncos. I am talking 90s Broncos that have been rebuilt… Essentially everything was on the table but at the end of the day, I found myself coming back to the Maverick.
I also wanted to give a shout out to my salesman Glenn Cummings and Depaula Ford in Albany New York. In a world of huge market adjustments from dealerships, selling vehicles out from under customers, to unnecessary and overpriced add ons, they took care of me. They sold the vehicle at MSRP, no adjustment, no added fees, no nitrogen or vin etching. They made this process as stress free as a year-long wait could be and I really cannot thank them enough.
Now onto the fun stuff, the detailing!
To start, the vehicle was incredibly clean overall. Depaula hand washes their vehicles and before the vehicle was delivered I did ask them to do the bare minimum when prepping the vehicle for pickup. Meaning, no protection. Just a hand wash and interior vacuum. They did listen, but the only area I had a problem with was the tires. They applied a nice thick layer of silicone dressing, but that is not something we can’t fix during our detailing process. Below are some photos of the vehicle after I pulled it into the back of the warehouse after purchase.
