5th gen features worth the upgrade from 4th gen?

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jejb

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I have an 18 2500 CTD Laramie that is loaded. Only 37K on it and no issues. Really like the truck. But we just got the wife a new 21 Pacifica with all the safety bells and whistles and the latest uConnect system. Some really helpful features that have made me take a look at what's available in the 22 Ram's. Seems all the same goodies are there, plus some for trailering, etc. Probably going to test drive a new Ram today to see for myself, but wanted to ask those that have moved from a 4th gen to a 5th gen with all the lane keep assist, etc. if they thought it was worth it?

The other thought is that I bought my truck at the very beginning of covid, when nobody was shopping. I got a heck of a deal on it and it's now worth far more than I paid. And the used vehicle market is more overpriced than new. So wondering what kind of a deal I can make if I order out a new 2500/3500 and trade mine in.
 

BNeal

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Well, you'll obviously do well on your trade, but in order to get any kind of a deal on a '22, you'll have to find a dealer like Mark Dodge, otherwise, you're most likely going to take it in the shorts. I'm scheduled for an oil change at the local dealer today in Prosper, TX. I am going to tease them a bit regarding a trade for my '21 limited. But my guess is, they will have it marked up above MSRP. Ain't going there!

I'll let you know how it goes.
 

turkeybird56

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I get emails EVERY week from my Dealer trying to buy MY 19 RAM, might be because it is all dealer MX, only has 19K on the odometer, and I guess worth a lil more than what I paid. But then I have to make it past the mark up all the Dealers have, in order to get into a new truck, and my truck is paid off. Sure I get more bells and whistles, since I have a low Bighorn, but also have a 12-20K vehicle loan to pay. IMHO, one has to look at all the pros and cons and decide if the trade up is worth it.
 

turkeybird56

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Well, you'll obviously do well on your trade, but in order to get any kind of a deal on a '22, you'll have to find a dealer like Mark Dodge, otherwise, you're most likely going to take it in the shorts. I'm scheduled for an oil change at the local dealer today in Prosper, TX. I am going to tease them a bit regarding a trade for my '21 limited. But my guess is, they will have it marked up above MSRP. Ain't going there!

I'll let you know how it goes.
Nice looking Limited.
 

JoeCo

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I have an 18 2500 CTD Laramie that is loaded. Only 37K on it and no issues. Really like the truck. But we just got the wife a new 21 Pacifica with all the safety bells and whistles and the latest uConnect system. Some really helpful features that have made me take a look at what's available in the 22 Ram's. Seems all the same goodies are there, plus some for trailering, etc. Probably going to test drive a new Ram today to see for myself, but wanted to ask those that have moved from a 4th gen to a 5th gen with all the lane keep assist, etc. if they thought it was worth it?

The other thought is that I bought my truck at the very beginning of covid, when nobody was shopping. I got a heck of a deal on it and it's now worth far more than I paid. And the used vehicle market is more overpriced than new. So wondering what kind of a deal I can make if I order out a new 2500/3500 and trade mine in.

I don't really use much of the technology on my longhorn like lane keep assist (and that helped save someone's life when they tried committing suicide in front of my truck on interstate 81) or the adaptive cruise or self park etc. I upgraded to the 5th gen mainly because the rest of the interior was so much nicer, we spend a lot of time on the road so it was an important thing for our needs.

As mentioned by another poster, you can probably do real good on your current truck (and I'd also check vroom/carvanna/autonation/carmax regularly to see what they would give for it) but most dealers aren't making deals on new trucks. Seeing as you are in Arkansas I would definitely recommend getting a quote from Mark Dodge on a build like @BNeal suggested.
 
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jejb

jejb

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Thanks guys. I appreciate the input. The Mopar dealers around here are getting MSRP. Haven't seen any mark them up beyond that. But it looks like my truck is worth $20-$25K more than I paid for it, so it seems like it might be an opportunity to take advantage of a really strange market.

When we bought the new Pacifica late last year, we found the same thing. Used vehicle prices were so high, it made more sense to spend a little more and just get new. We did not have a trade, as the wife had totaled her SUV. The money for the dealers that don't mark up beyond MSRP seems to be in selling the used vehicles right now.
 

2018RamQ

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I'm upgrading from a 2018 1500 Express to a 2022 1500 Limited. I was just looking to upgrade to Laramie, but the added options brings it to about the same price as the Limited.

If you like technology the 2022 models now have wireless Apple Car Play. I'm not sure if the earlier models have it, but the 2022 Limited has the better headlights that pivot when you turn. The tow package now has the backup assist that's similar to what Ford came out with a few years ago.

I'm finding the best prices are from dealers that will special order the truck for you. The salesman estimated 3-4 month wait, but mine is scheduled to be shipped on 3/6/2022. I just placed the order last Monday.
 
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jejb

jejb

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I'm upgrading from a 2018 1500 Express to a 2022 1500 Limited. I was just looking to upgrade to Laramie, but the added options brings it to about the same price as the Limited.

If you like technology the 2022 models now have wireless Apple Car Play. I'm not sure if the earlier models have it, but the 2022 Limited has the better headlights that pivot when you turn. The tow package now has the backup assist that's similar to what Ford came out with a few years ago.

I'm finding the best prices are from dealers that will special order the truck for you. The salesman estimated 3-4 month wait, but mine is scheduled to be shipped on 3/6/2022. I just placed the order last Monday.
Seems ordering one is going to be the only way to go. It's crazy how fast the Ram 2500/3500's sell. I've done some wide area searches and very little is available in anyone's inventory. The truck I wanted to drive yesterday was already sold by the time I got there. I was not interested in buying it, but would have liked to have test driven it. My 18 2500 is a Megacab with Ramboxes and air suspension. All must haves for me.

So how does your trade in deal work @2018RamQ? Did they give you a value for your trade up front and on paper when you worked up the order for your '22? I've heard it can take up to 6 months to build a truck, so just wondering if dealers are willing to put the trade in value in the contract, given that the crazy high used market could crash.
 

2018RamQ

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Since they didn't think the new truck would be here for 3 or 4 months they didn't give me a value for my trade-in. They talked about how volatile the used car prices are right now and didn't know what the value may be when the truck got here.

We also didn't go through the financing part either. They said the credit stuff expires in 30 days and that would mean they would need to run the credit check again when the truck got here.

I had already contacted a couple of dealers about new trucks on their lots, but wasn't able to negotiate a deal. Both dealers had offered me about $2,000 less than what CarMax offered (the CarMax offer is about what I paid for it new 4 years ago) I have always thought car dealerships have low-balled me on previous trade-ins, so I'll just sell it to CarMax, Vroom, Carvana or some other type of service.
 
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jejb

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Thanks, that all makes sense, at least from the dealers point of view. As volatile as things are, I'm sure they don't want to put anything in writing that may end up hurting their end of the deal.
 

krakaman24

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dealers had offered me about $2,000 less than what CarMax offered (the CarMax offer is about what I paid for it new 4 years ago) I have always thought car dealerships have low-balled me on previous trade-ins, so I'll just sell it to CarMax, Vroom, Carvana or some other type of service.
This!! If you have one of these services near by I highly recommend it before even visiting your dealer.

I had a quote from CarMax for my 2007 1500 when I went to by my new 18 2500. It makes for a huge bargaining chip. The dealer offered me about $7000 less than what CarMax did. I told my salesman no thanks and that I would be selling my used truck to someone else who offered way more. He of course asked who and how much. I told him so he went and did the manager dance and came back with that 7k difference and then some. They want the used cars so bad they won't let it walk away. That's where they make their money. Especially now a days! That was well before the COVID madness.
 
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jejb

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Some nice trucks! Personally, I like the chrome, especially on the bumper. Does not get messed up by road debris the way painted does. I have experience with the painted bumpers on some of our vehicles, not a fan.
 

geo1367

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I had a 3rd gen Ram went to a 5th Gen 2019 Long Horn, loved it with big hearts, but developed a lot of issues. So I traded it off on the ONLY new Ram the dealer had; a 4th Gen 2021 Warlock 3.6l. What a difference and not in a good way. You will love the 5th Gen, the ride, sound proof and the seats are more comfortable than my recliner I spent over a grand on.
 
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jejb

jejb

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Thanks. I looked and looked for a 22 sitting on a lot that would fit the bill. Searched nationwide, for about a month. 2500 Megacab Ramboxes are as rare as hens teeth at dealerships. I finally ordered a loaded up Limited Longhorn 2500 at the end of March, from Granger in Iowa. So just in the long wait phase now.
 

Khalifa45

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5th Gen is certainly worth it. I traded a 2018 for a 2022. Major differences in almost every way and they are all good ones.
 

Rayzaa

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Just my opinion but i much prefer the 4th gen looks to the 5th gen. I like the more Peterbilt front end of them than the flatter hood.
 

stevenP

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I just traded a loaded Gen4 longhorn CTD, for a 2022 Gen5 longhorn CTD. The main and only reason I did decided to trade is I downsized from a 3500 dually to a 2500. We also bought a new 2021 pacifica for my wife last fall.... with the safety equipment on it too. And after 6 months of driving the van, we hate the safety features, to the point they are all turned off now. The adaptive cruise will slam on the brakes if a anything cuts in front of you to the point its dangerous. And then if the obstruction clears, it floors the gas to get back up to speed, its a neck snapper.

Since my truck is a diesel the new generation cummins is super quiet as compared to my Gen4, but big deal. If your doing a diesel again, be aware that the new cummins requires synthetic 5-40 oil that is a lot more expensive than the 15w-40 dyno oil in the Gen4 engines. My oil changes at the dealer used to be $80, now they are $155. Plus the fuel filters on this Gen5 truck are different too.
The Uconnect series 5 radios are pretty intense with all the features. The surround view camera's are very handy, as was the cross traffic alert but was it worth the additional dollars? I guess that would be up to the individual.
My new 2500 has the safety equipment group on it as well. Not all that impressed with the lane keep sense, it most times is un-able to determine the road edges up here in my local easily, and it jerks the steering wheel all the time.
 
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