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You Can Buy A GFC Platform Camper And Ford Maverick For Under $29,000

August 25, 2022 3 min read 19 Comments

You Can Buy A GFC Platform Camper And Ford Maverick For Under $29,000

Let’s start with some context: The average price of a new car in America is $48,043. But, with a GFC Platform Camper and a base Ford Maverick, you can own both a camper, and a brand new truck for a total of $28,695. That’s over $19,000 less than that average new car. 

But, can you get a Maverick? Ford sold 100,000 of them almost immediately when they first went on-sale last year. A number that surprised everyone, and exhausted Ford’s ability to make them. Now, they’re finally done playing catch up, and plan to open up order books for the 2023 model on September 15. So yes, you can finally buy a new Maverick without paying markups again.

 

Which leads us to our Maverick Camper. Precisely fit to the unibody truck’s 4.5-foot bed, it comes with a 50 x 90-inch sleeping area, along with seven-and-a-half feet of standing height room inside. 

We’re confident this is the most spacious camper available for the Maverick. And, like all the rest of our Platform Camper range, it’ll be the lightest, strongest, most durable, and most practical, too. 

What about fuel economy? We developed the prototype camper on top of an employee’s AWD, 2.0-liter turbo FX4. Stock, the EPA average fuel economy for that is 25 MPG. With the obvious caveats that results will vary by driver behavior and environment, the Platform Camper does not appear to impair the Maverick’s fuel economy. 

Helping there is the fact that, sized for the Maverick, the Platform Camper adds only 6.5 inches of total height to the vehicle (above the shark fin), and it weighs only 255 pounds. 

And the Maverick Camper retains all the rest of the Platform Camper’s benefits. It’s made using the same aluminum space frame (albeit sized down for the 4.5-foot bed), uses the same machined-from-billet components, the same lift panels, the same embassy hinges, the same modular floor, the same T-track load halo, the same translucent roof…you get the idea. Small truck, big camper energy. 

Let's compare that to some other popular cars. Base MSRP for the 2022 Subaru Outback is $28,820. It seats five, has a decent amount of cargo space, and returns 29 MPG combined. 

A base Ford Maverick XL Hybrid returns 37 MPG combined and also seats five.. Add $7,700 for the Platform Camper, and you've spent $125 less on a total package that returns significantly better fuel economy than the Outback, is equipped with vastly more secure cargo space, and includes your own personal camping cabana. 

What about pickup trucks? MSRP for a base four-door, four-cylinder, two-wheel drive Tacoma with zero options is $29,315. That motor makes 159 horsepower, 180 lb-ft, and has to move 3,915 pounds. It returns 21 MPG combined.

The Maverick Hybrid makes 191 horsepower, 173 lb-ft of torque, and, with a GFC onboard, weighs 3,929 pounds. It's also two-wheel drive, also has four doors, but even equipped with a the Platform Camper, costs $620 less, and returns nearly twice the fuel economy. 

But what if you want the faster, more capable (and more expensive) all-wheel drive Maverick with the 2.0-liter turbo motor that returns 25 MPG combined? Does the same value proposition hold true? The starting price for that vehicle is $25,145. Add the $7,700 Platform Camper, and your total spend is now $32,845. That's still over $15,000 less than the average new car. 

That again compares very favorably to the Subaru Outback. The cheapest you're going to to get into that car's 2.4-liter turbo motor is $37,020. That car makes 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft. It weighs 3,921 pounds and returns 26 MPG combined. Even with the camper onboard, the AWD Maverick weighs just 65 pounds more. So, with the camper-equipped Maverick, you're saving over $4,000, gaining a massive amount of cargo space, a place to sleep, a freakin' cabana, and thanks to the Ford's excellent 8-speed automatic, ditching the Subaru's lousy CVT. 

The cheapest 4WD 4Runner starts at a positively ridiculous $41,315. It weights 4,805 pounds, and makes 270 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque, which reaches the wheels through an absolutely ancient 5-speed automatic transmission. Fuel "economy" is just 17 MPG combined. The camper-equipped Maverick will be faster, better to drive, do all that cargo-sleep-cabana stuff, save you $8,470 up front, and a bunch of money on gas throughout the vehicle's life. 

"For someone looking to get out and have adventures every weekend, I can't think of a better combo," says GFC Founder and CEO Wiley Davis. "The Maverick is easy to park, easy to drive, and will take you almost anywhere you'd want to go. And the GFC Platform Camper is an American-made product that turns the Maverick into a blended indoor-outdoor living space that works like a portable cabana. All that for less than the purchase price of a camperless Tacoma seems like the hot ticket if you ask me."


19 Responses

Jeff
Jeff

November 16, 2023

What happens to the radio antenna during installation? Looks like the antenna has to be removed because it is to long and would touch the bottom of the camper. Does the metal in the camper interfere with radio reception if the antenna is retained?

lotnet automotive
lotnet automotive

August 25, 2023

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Marty
Marty

March 14, 2023

If this unit is only 255 lbs, how come it was not extended to the end of the tailgate with a drop down step? That would not affect any of the trucks ability on the road and give you a bigger area for storage. The bed over the cab could have been extended a few inches more for taller people. Thanks

Marty
Marty

March 14, 2023

If this unit is only 255 lbs, how come it was not extended to the end of the tailgate with a drop down step? That would not affect any of the trucks ability on the road and give you a bigger area for storage. The bed over the cab could have been extended a few inches more for taller people. Thanks

Zoofeather
Zoofeather

February 28, 2023

Does the platform pop up have to come with dealership and pre-install? $ 7,700 is a hefty add on cost for the 4374/Maverick design?

Tommy
Tommy

February 09, 2023

When do you expect the GFC Platform Topper to be available for the Maverick as a standalone without the tent? You have a buyer here!

Pastor Mac McGuire
Pastor Mac McGuire

November 02, 2022

1st of all I am in love with this camper, this is just what we will need to make our journey across the USA starting in Willington NC to Barstow La 2,464 MILES and back from LA to Coco FL another2,555 MILES pulling a portable chapel behind us, stopping 2 times a day to minister to travelers and truck drivers on inter stats .As we set up at the rest stops having a place to rest for the night along the interstates.

take a look at our website to learn and understand our ministry.
http;//roadsideministry20wixsite.com/website

I have started a campaign to raise the funds.

God bless you all in making this wonderful line of campers.
Pastor Man / Mia McGuire

Randy button
Randy button

September 20, 2022

Just ordered a maverick truck, see you soon

Reggie. Reeder.
Reggie. Reeder.

September 01, 2022

Author is wrong about motor sizes. 2wd hybird has bigger motor than turbo option and gets about 15 mpg better.

John allen ALLen sundberg
John allen ALLen sundberg

August 30, 2022

Looking for a Ford maverick

John allen ALLen sundberg
John allen ALLen sundberg

August 30, 2022

Looking for a Ford maverick

Joe
Joe

August 30, 2022

I will give the writer the benefit of the doubt and the fact that they did give a rough estimate of the 4 wheel drive price. The problem is that they have the base level 4 wheel drive xlt price to soften the blow of an additional 7k. Let’s be honest. Those of us who want the maverick want some additionals. Spray in bed liner, tremor package, lariat package, keyless start (not me but some), and much more. Those definitely stack up. I myself want the XLT tremor with a spay in. That pushes this tent transaction into the 40s. I’m not putting down the product at all. It looks great. I just want to avoid the real possibility of being cash poor.
I know that on the Ford accessory page they have a Yakima tent that costs about 3k that would be installed upon building of the vehicle. It’s just a matter of what you are doing and how much you can spend without your significant other finding out.

Mark
Mark

August 28, 2022

It would be great if the GFC Platform camper was an option in the Ford Build and Price as would add to my 2023 Maverick order next month.

Hollow
Hollow

August 27, 2022

How do we order that size?!

Randy button
Randy button

August 27, 2022

Sweet, see you soon

Gary
Gary

August 26, 2022

Any chance a similarly sized camper would be fitted to the Hyundai Santa Cruz? The bed are pretty similar in size.

Brenan Greene
Brenan Greene

August 25, 2022

There’s some crazy good value with this setup. Ford continues to not only improve on their pricing but their tech is outrageously better than most offroad-focused platforms like Toyota as well. Will be interesting to see how this competes against the Ranger.

Austin Hartnell
Austin Hartnell

August 25, 2022

Absolutely brilliant. Bravo to you guys for seeing the value in this platform and pushing affordability to the weekend warrior crowd!!

Tod
Tod

August 25, 2022

Do you order these straight from ford? Our you guys working with ford or do you buy the truck then just order tent from you guys. I have a superlite on my Subaru crosstrek but this set up seems RAD 🤙🏽 🇺🇸

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