NMS Doubles Down on Hybrid Power!

It's not Hot Pepper Red, but here's a Maverick XL I spotted the other day. 

Exactly one week after bringing a first hybrid car into the garage (Honda Accord hybrid EX-L that is) we've just placed an order for another Daily Driver hybrid (non-racecar that is.) As of today, we have a 2024 Ford Maverick with the hybrid engine on order. Honest folks, we are going ALL OUT to turn the economy around and support our local businesses in South Carolina! Shoot, I'll even promise that if I win the Mega Millions or the Powerball jackpot, I'll REALLY get the economy cranked up! 

In two weeks with the Accord, we really are getting the EPA mileage they claim, averaging 49MPG combined. While that's in only 400 miles, the NMS team is very happy with that mileage, so we think the Maverick will also be worth the wait. 

"Worth the wait" you say? Well, yes, unfortunately Covid and supply chain issues have combined with HUGE demand for this vehicle to make delivery time unknowable. Shoot, there's still people that ordered last year that probably won't get their 2023.  I've tried finding one online and at local area dealers, and it's almost like they don't exist. Yeah they list them on line, but those all seem to be trucks that are customer orders that I can't buy. When last year's 2023 model was open for ordering, so many customers signed up that after only a week Ford had to stop taking orders. And they still haven't built all of those trucks yet. 

After adding all these things up, I realized that maybe it would be worth the wait to order a new one when given the chance. Well, that chance came on July 17th when the order banks opened up again, so NMS will be happy report how this plays out. We'll give an honest report on the waiting (and waiting, and waiting) sure to come our way. You might think this is dumb, but for me I've got another car I can drive every day, and I can afford to wait. Sure, it won't tow much, but all I really need is something to get around town, take the garbage a half mile up the road a few times a week, and likely haul a few tires and car parts around. Oh and all that other stuff for the home too. 

Realistically, I've got to think it might take a year, maybe less, or maybe the demand is so huge that they already won't be able to build all the vehicles people are ordering. Life is all about choices, so let me tell you that in the ordering process (very easy to do at your local dealership) I learned that if I wanted the HOT PEPPER RED, it is now available in the base model, instead of having to go to the next higher XLT model. So, with HOT PEPPER RED and a hybrid engine being my only options, it's on order. 

Ford made some other tweaks to 2024, mainly that instead of hybrid being the standard engine, now the gas motor is standard, and the hybrid costs extra as an option. I'd heard about this change recently, so while I don't want to pay more, apparently the rules just changed. 

I've looked at a lot of video reviews of this truck on YouTube, and here are some of the things that people complain about: no moon roof, no adaptive cruise control, have to use a key and insert it to start the truck, hybrid doesn't have all-wheel-drive, etc. You know what? Those people are whiners! I really don't need all those extras, and I'm looking forward to NOT paying for them. Dealers already add enough extra stuff that I don't want ($199 for nitrogen filled tires? What a joke!) I'm happy to be a cheapskate, OK, a cheapskate that can buy a new vehicle. Hey, if you want THE cheapest new vehicle for sale in America, go ahead and buy a Nissan Versa, around $17,000.