That sounds like a dealer problem.

Now don’t be silly. Most people are afraid to ride motorcycles.

According to “Real Truck” people, towing is MUCH more important than hauling (at least that’s what they always tell me when I point out that my Ridgeline has a higher payload than their “Real Truck”.

The hood line is an issue if you’re at an intersection and trying to see if other vehicles are approaching, particularly when trying to turn right on red. There will invariably be a tall truck on your left that inches forward every time you inch forward, blocking your view of oncoming traffic.

I just waited and got a good deal on my ‘19 RTL. $31.8k including light running boards and heated steering wheel. Where else can you get a 4wd (awd) V6 truck with leather interior, power everything, moonroof, power rear slider, etc., for that money?

Except a lot of them are taller now. Hood lines and bed lines seem to be a lot higher, and probably seating positions (because people like to sit up higher to feel like they're in control).

Trucks are in vogue right now, so that gives the Maverick a leg up on the other $20k cars. The fact that it has a little bed is just a bonus.

People are overpaying for vehicles right now because of a scarcity mentality (like an expensive version of the toilet paper shortage).

You're comparing to the wrong vehicles.  You should be comparing to the Versa, Spark, Soul, Fit and other vehicles you can get for around $20k.

Yeah, my Honda has algorithms built into the Maintenance Minder to tell you when to change oil. Their algorithm, though, assumes you’re using minimum-spec oil, etc., so it is very conservative.

Counterpoint: watch for Engineering Explained’s upcoming video on oil change intervals....

As bad as the price is, I'd still take this over, say, an $80k F150.  That's a vehicle I can't understand for that price.  I guess the contractors are able to buy them and write off the price on their taxes while they drive around to find work for their minimum-wage crews.

I did a 72-month loan with Honda, at 0.9%. I could have easily done a 36-month loan, but I elected instead to put the balance into my 401k. In 2021, I had a 37% return* on my investments AND this wacky market has my truck currently worth $15k more than I owe on it.

FYI, 49mpg is calculated based on the 1970s formulae, so it isn't what you would see on the window sticker.  49mpg would translate to something like 36mpg on the window sticker.  Car and Driver had a recent article on it.

NP if you actually need a truck to do work. This is NOT a commuter truck and is a poor excuse for one, but will serve well as an actual work truck.

Fun fact: Karl Urban plays William Cooper, and also plays the Russian assassin Kirill in Bourne Supremacy (and also Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok), while Brian Cox plays Ward Abbott in the Bourne movies and the Russian Ivan Simonov in the Red movies.

Where’s RED / RED 2?

BUT when does it get that sweet straight six Hurricane engine?

It makes money for big producers, not so much for the smaller producers. The real people getting rich are those invested in ethanol plants, and middlemen who provide ag equipment, seed, fertilizer, etc.

It's like the Japanese invasion of the 1970s fuel crises all over again....