New Guy Considering a new Ram....Advice?

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oldmako

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Greetings.

2 F150's, 3 Silverado's and now leaning strongly toward buying a new Ram 1500.

A few observations and questions please? I am looking for input before I decide the exact model, etc.

This is what I want...


Big Horn or perhaps Laramie
5.8, non eTorque
Crew Cab
Panoramic Sunroof
4x4
Billet Silver
Bucket Seats - Heated
Level 2 equipment group
8.4 inch screen
Class 4 hitch
3.92 rear (boat weighs 10K lbs)
Longer box ? Unsure at this point


That's the basics. I am not terribly interested in the frills, because the price jumps so much when you start getting fancy.

I am having a tough time finding a truck that is not laden with a ton of other stuff that quickly pushes the price up toward 50K, and I just don't want to spend that kind of money.

I found one truck that the dealer wanted $42,700 for. I offered 40K, hoping to get it perhaps for 41K.
They told me to pound sand and I walked. They didn't even counter. It appeared as though they took the MSRP, subtracted the rebate deals and that was it. I had read a bunch online that led me to believe that I could get it for MSRP less 10-11k, but not with them.

I am getting bombarded with emails from dealers, but they won't work with me online, they just tell me that they have the truck and I need to come in. I search their inventories and NONE of them have the truck I seek. Many aren't even close, so I don't waste my time. I travel internationally a LOT for work, and my time is limited. I just don't want to wander all over looking at trucks they want to sell me.

Those of you with a new Ram, can you offer up any advice, good or bad about the new truck?
Things to avoid? Or consider that I am leaving off?

Fire at will. And, thanks for any and all input.

OM.
 

hotrod45

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Are you trading something?

I don't know your area at all, but when considering the Crew Cab, also have in mind your wheelbase. Short bed is a lot easier to put into a parking lot.
 
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oldmako

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I agree. But, I like the room. I'm going to jam a tool box in the bed. I also have a daily driver car, so the parking issue won't be quite so big for me.
 

troutspinner

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From what you wrote, it sounds like the truck would be mainly for pleasure and towing. If you tow your boat often, I would consider a 2500 series truck as the 1500 varies from 6k to 12k, just depends how it is equipped.

With the configuration you mentioned, you’re looking at just over 11k lbs towing capability. Kind of tight for my comfort level. Now if you’re dropping it and retrieving it from a marina once a year because you dock it there then that is a little different.

Here is a link to a towing chart.

https://iimediaevents.com/2019ram15...Releases/PDFs/2019_Ram_1500_Towing_Charts.pdf
 
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oldmako

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You're half right. I only tow it a few hundred feet. It's parked right near the ramp. But, I'd like the option to tow it on the road when necessary (when a hurricane is coming or offsite maintenance is required).

No idea what my current Silverado is set up for, but it's been performing fine in the 3 years I've owned the boat. I put it in 4LO and it's not even huffing to get it up the ramp. I switch it 2By as soon as the trailer wheels clear the inclined surface of the ramp.
 

troutspinner

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You're half right. I only tow it a few hundred feet. It's parked right near the ramp. But, I'd like the option to tow it on the road when necessary (when a hurricane is coming or offsite maintenance is required).

No idea what my current Silverado is set up for, but it's been performing fine in the 3 years I've owned the boat. I put it in 4LO and it's not even huffing to get it up the ramp. I switch it 2By as soon as the trailer wheels clear the inclined surface of the ramp.

In a scenario like that, I don’t see an issue. In those off chances you can persevere for sure.
 

troutspinner

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Back to the topic at hand. I have a similar vehicle to the one you are seeking with the off road package, no sunroof, never been a fan of them.

A dealer I visited offered $11k off sticker in early August. The rebate on Big Horns was $4500 at that time and I did not qualify for any other incentives so they were willing to come off MSRP $6500, add the rebate, $11k. This was on a truck that was on the lot and “close” to what I wanted but was missing a few features.

A week later I ended up finding a dealer about 45 miles away that had the exact truck I wanted. I called them, asked for a sales associate. Antonio answered and I said, you have the truck I want. He pulled up the stock number. I told him my local dealer offered $11k off MSRP and X for my trade. If you can offer the same, I’ll come pick it up today. He said let me call you back in 5 minutes. 5 minutes later, the phone rang and Antonio said come get your truck.....so I did. ;)

The deals are out there but it is always their goal to get you into the showroom. I think my scenario is easy to find “if” you know the exact vehicle on their lot that you want.
 

slim chance

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IF you plan on towing the 10,000# boat much, be careful of the towing capacity charts ... they lead you to believe that you can tow anything up to 12,700# with the tow package ... this turn out to NOT be fully true ... i have the trailer tow package, 392 rear, hemi 5.7 and am towing a 7000# gross travel trailer ... when you calculate the tongue weight (700#) and base payload (400# for 2 passengers and 300# of gear=total payload 700#) i only have 400# of excess towing capacity .... so the truck gvw is set to 7100# and trailer is gvw is 7000# to total 14,000# and gcvw is supposed to be 17,000# by the Ram online chart .. somewhere i lost 2,700# ... for a 10,000# trailer i would look at a 2500 Ram
 

hksvr4

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My bighorn came out to 43k and is rated to tow 8200lbs. 8” screen, heated front bucket seats, heated steering wheel, LED light package and short box. Don’t have the 3.92 gears. Most of my driving is to the parking lot and back home. Maybe some weekend family stuff. Also a have 3400lbs TT. I think the pano-roof, will put you in the Laramie which is more money. Not sure if you can add the pano to the bighorn. I think it will be ok for the boat because it’s not a box like a TT.
 

JoshR104

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Greetings.

2 F150's, 3 Silverado's and now leaning strongly toward buying a new Ram 1500.

A few observations and questions please? I am looking for input before I decide the exact model, etc.

This is what I want...


Big Horn or perhaps Laramie
5.8, non eTorque
Crew Cab
Panoramic Sunroof
4x4
Billet Silver
Bucket Seats - Heated
Level 2 equipment group
8.4 inch screen
Class 4 hitch
3.92 rear (boat weighs 10K lbs)
Longer box ? Unsure at this point


That's the basics. I am not terribly interested in the frills, because the price jumps so much when you start getting fancy.

I am having a tough time finding a truck that is not laden with a ton of other stuff that quickly pushes the price up toward 50K, and I just don't want to spend that kind of money.

I found one truck that the dealer wanted $42,700 for. I offered 40K, hoping to get it perhaps for 41K.
They told me to pound sand and I walked. They didn't even counter. It appeared as though they took the MSRP, subtracted the rebate deals and that was it. I had read a bunch online that led me to believe that I could get it for MSRP less 10-11k, but not with them.

I am getting bombarded with emails from dealers, but they won't work with me online, they just tell me that they have the truck and I need to come in. I search their inventories and NONE of them have the truck I seek. Many aren't even close, so I don't waste my time. I travel internationally a LOT for work, and my time is limited. I just don't want to wander all over looking at trucks they want to sell me.

Those of you with a new Ram, can you offer up any advice, good or bad about the new truck?
Things to avoid? Or consider that I am leaving off?

Fire at will. And, thanks for any and all input.

OM.

I would find a dealer willing to work with you and get some kind of dealer discount in writing on a factory order. The only issue is you never know how good the rebates will be when it shows up since it can be 2-3 months until you actually take delivery of it and its based on when you take delivery not when you order for the rebates. Get a few offers from dealers and make them compete against one another. Or if you can find the exact built one on a lot take the numbers from some other dealers on the factory order dealer discount (make sure its 100% dealer discount and not rebates since everyone will qualify for that off at any dealer) and try to make the match or beat the price. You can checkout Chapman auto in Horsham PA if you are in the north east. I just picked up a 2018 Limited 2500 for 17k off msrp from them (10k dealers discount + 7k in rebates).

I would also make sure you get the specs on payload / tow rating on your exact build since the numbers online that they show are usually the highest it can do which is based on 2x4 double cab short bed with all the upgraded packages for towing.
 

Elkman

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Worst time to buy a truck and get a good deal is when the factory first starts to ship them and inventories are low. This is the time of year to get a great deal on a 2018 truck that is sitting on a dealer's lot and for which they have to pay the flooring costs each month.

I bought my 2011 Silverado 2500HD Duramax in November of 2011 and bought the truck fully loaded (entertainment package, navigation, tow mirrors, bed liner, running boards, etc.) for $42,700 or roughly $10,400 under the sticker price. I found it using Craigslist and worked with the internet sales person to reach an agreement on the truck and price. I then drove 120 miles to the dealer and wrote them a check and within an hour I was heading back home.

If I had to have a truck as soon as possible I would look for a 2019 where the deal with the buyer fell through or wait until the middle of December to start working with dealers. Dealers get a quota of sorts and for 2019 year shipments it will depend on 2018 total units sold. There is an incentive for them to add units even if they make little or no profit on the vehicle. Need to understand as well that pickup trucks generate more profit per vehicle than any other vehicle sold by dealers and they know that.
 

jarzo

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I've had them all (silverado 1500, ford F150, ford raptor, tundra, ram 1500, etc), you will like the ram. It's a great truck.

It seems like you're taking the right approach with the dealerships. I'm sure you're getting calls asking you to stop by for a test drive. At that point, I usually tell them that a test drive is not necessary, just interested in the dealership that can offer the best price. I ask for them to email me their best price. It's usually a mentally draining process. Towards the end of the month they may be a bit more flexible. good luck.
 

Mazer

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I just went through this shopping for my RAM 2500 2018 Power Wagon! Now is definitely the time to buy! They will make deals, if not, move along to another dealership. I started with Car Gurus, add all the features that you want that are available on the website to pick from and start at 10 miles and work your way out! See what deals they are offering! In my case there weren't many Power Wagons within 200 miles of me to choose from. Went to a dealer close by because they had one they hadn't even pulled the wrappers off of and they wouldn't deal...but the sales manager was a jerk, so I left and went to the next dealership that had what I wanted but 50 miles away. Their truck was advertised with a very nice 8k below sticker price with the incentives. Called them first and we got a tentative number to start with(MSRP on mine was over 59K) they had incentives bringing down over 8K. Went down, we haggled a bit and I ended up with my trade (which they gave me much more than anyone else did since I was basically "break even" on the truck value to what I owed on it (2014 Ford F150STX 4x4)) Ended up getting over 12k off the MSRP. Gave them some cash financed what was left and loving the truck!
Mine rides stiff but it is designed for off road!
Good luck with the hunt! To me, that is a big part of the fun. Dealing with some of the dealers though...not so much.
 
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oldmako

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I get plenty of hits from dealers through email. It seems as though TrueCar, Car Guru's and Edmonds tend to be conduits for DEALERS to get to customers and not conduits for buyers to obtain good info, and attractive pricing.

I hit a few sites and within hours my inbox was jammed. I sent each a detailed list of the truck I want, and no one has it. They all invite me in to peruse their stock but I'm not biting. First, I can see what they have on their websites and the Dodge website also shows what's available within 125 miles. As mentioned above, I've already driven the truck and I am ready to buy one. But, I don't want to buy a truck loaded with thousands of dollars of stuff I don't want. So, I sit.

I should mention that the first truck I made an offer on had over 500 miles on the odo. It also had a door ding. I felt as though that truck should have been discounted a bit for those reasons. I even asked the salesman what the average test drive was. His answer was less than 5 miles. Well, that's what, 100 test drives on the truck they wanted full price for? If I'm paying full price, I want the truck to have just rolled off the delivery truck.

I really want a new truck, but my 05 Silverado is taking care of me and will until I can find the truck I really want. I could walk in and buy a loaded Laramie if I really wanted to, but I don't want to spend an extra 10-15K just for goodies that I don't need. $1000 for LED lights? Nah....

Thanks for you input(s).
 

Mazer

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Ha! Well, yea, with my PW my choices were limited to begin with! My entire point was that you can shop around till you find it, and looks like you will! And yea, Car Guru and the rest do get you "on the list" for every dealer in the country to have you look at their site! But, these websites are the best way to shop...at least...to narrow down what you want. Buddy found a car via Car Guru and went to Virginia to purchase it after making the deal online. Oh and we live in SC! But, as I said, good luck on the hunt! They need you, not you needing the dealers.
 

RamPrime

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New guy checking in. I've been following these threads, and I'm thinking of going to the 2019 Ram when my lease is done.
I was one of those, "Oh I'm not sure about the 2019's look!" dweebs, guilty as charged. But, I'm taking a hard look at a new rebel and thinking I need to do it.

damn you guys, and thank you! In that order.
 

alow

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I'd take a hard look at a factory order. It's the route I went and I have no regrets with it especially if you don't like all the add on frills and want something specific.

I had great success by finding a volume dealer and working with them. A few calls but mostly email. I then took their quote and sent it to local dealers asking if they could match or beat it and after a while of shopping around and over memorial day weekend I got a deal worked out for a custom order at one of those ridiculous prices. I then took my old Silverado over to CarMax got a quote and worked that with the dealer I had and though they didn't match it completely they came very close and made up the difference in services.

I don't know anyone out east dealership wise but I'd try to find one of those places and if no one beats them then go with them. Either way it should work out to your benefit.
 

alow

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Oh and I have a very similar truck to what your looking for except the color and I went with 3.21 gears. It's great. Pano roof makes me happy and I open it all the time. The Crew cab long 6'4 bed works as long as your ok with parking in the back and walking in most lots.

Check the bed length if you don't order. I actually measured mine as it looked short on the crew cab but I almost fell for a dealer selling me a short bed on the lot until I checked.
 

runamuck

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I got over 11k off the 2019 Laramie I bought and I did it mostly online by first getting an online quote for my trade-in. all the salesmen will tell you they have a truck to match what you are looking for because they want you to come in. I ask them to post the window sticker for me because I already looked online thru their inventory. I got 39+k for my 2017 sierra ccsb plus another 1000$ for being usaa member plus they had a 50$ bonus for taking a test ride. I live in the DFW area where there are many dealers, so I just walk if I dont feel I am getting a good deal. If you wait till near the end of the month you will find them more eager to make a sale. I get pre qualified for the trade differance before I go in and when they offer their (usually too high) financing I say no unless they can match what I have lined up already. If they can, I try to get them to throw in a freebie of some kind because they make a few bucks off the financing. I also dont buy any after market stuff from them like undercoating or maintenance contracts which are a big source of revenue for them but usually not much good for you. dont be a jerk but dont be afraid to be a hard negotiator when spending your money.
 
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