Should I order?

[peeceejay]

What are the con's to ordering in a truck?

I have a specific spec I'm wanting - and while some bits are negotiable, some are not - with the bewildering array of features and packages these trucks can be built with, I'm thinking it would be better for me to send my build over to my dealer and order it.

I suspect I'll have less negotiation room on price, and they think a 6 week wait.

If I find a closely matching truck locally while waiting, can I go get that and cancel / let go of the order, or do I need to commit to it?

 

[MADDOG]

You'll have to discuss order cancellation policy with the dealer and I'd highly recommend doing that if you are planning on continuing to search for an immediately available truck.

Of course your dealer will try to steer you towards one they already have on the lot so it's important that they know what options you won't do without and which ones you can compromise on.

Dealer pricing on orders is variable. Some will not add the current incentives and some will depending on their internal sales practices. You'll have to discuss that with the dealer as well.

Good luck!

 

[peeceejay]

Good advice, thanks. I've found an almost ideal specced truck (wrong color, but thats one of the things I'm flexible on), but it's not geographically close, and I'm not quite ready to put the down payment on it yet. So I was kinda hoping they would be able to find something I couldn’t!

I’ll ask them about their cancellation policies and such before going ahead.

 

[Marley]

Posted a similar thread couple weeks ago and the responses were a better deal was had when ordering, was actually surprised to hear that.

Oh, color is one of those things I'm not flexible with.......I've owned 5 new trucks over 40 years and every one of them was RED. Lol

 

[rule18]

What are the con's to ordering in a truck?

I have a specific spec I'm wanting - and while some bits are negotiable, some are not - with the bewildering array of features and packages these trucks can be built with, I'm thinking it would be better for me to send my build over to my dealer and order it.

I suspect I'll have less negotiation room on price, and they think a 6 week wait.

If I find a closely matching truck locally while waiting, can I go get that and cancel / let go of the order, or do I need to commit to it?

Order what you want. I've successfully done that three times, just make sure you know what you want, check the order sheet that's being submitted by the dealer for accuracy and as others have said, make sure you can get out of it if you want to. Obviously, don't agree to pay all the BS fees that they tack on to a new car deal.

 

[peeceejay]

Posted a similar thread couple weeks ago and the responses were a better deal was had when ordering, was actually surprised to hear that.

Oh, color is one of those things I'm not flexible with.......I've owned 5 new trucks over 40 years and every one of them was RED. Lol

Huh - interesting!

Funnily enough, I don't mind color either, but every one of my vehicles in the last 20 years has been black!

 

[Husker4theSpurs]

I always lean order especially when there are some places you can order for 5% under invoice. You can use that price to help influence your local dealer to go lower on an order.

 

[Sandevino]

Many dealers in the same region spec and order their stock vastly different from one another. In a normal production year, the chance of finding what you want is very good. As this has been anything but normal, you’re not likely to find your exact spec.

Others have given good advice about cancellation policy, triple checking the order and having the dealer perform a regional search for your vehicle spec.

Another avenue to consider is buying one with most of what you want and adding the rest over time. This works for items like radios, clusters, mirrors (power folding) and other interchangeable items.

If it comes down to it and you absolutely can’t find what you want, I’d recommend waiting for the 2021 model year as 2020 is going to start winding down and you may bump into the 6 week gray area.

 

[Papa Red]

I've special ordered all my trucks since 1988. To me, it's the only way to go. Build what you want and send it to your local dealer(s) for a quote. I did very well ordering my new 2020. It's everything that I wanted and almost no dealer would have it sitting on their lot. You may be past the deadline for a 2020 and may have to order a 2021 but they're not making those yet. Good luck.

Red

 

[BNeal]

I ordered my '21 a couple weeks back. I decided I want what I want, and I'm willing to wait for it to come in.

 

[Sandevino]

I ordered my '21 a couple weeks back. I decided I want what I want, and I'm willing to wait for it to come in.

And that is......?

 

[KlatuBaradaNikto]

I ordered my '21 a couple weeks back. I decided I want what I want, and I'm willing to wait for it to come in.

Are there any new exterior colors for the ‘21s?

 

[LugsLeadOut84]

Interesting to see how many people order their trucks. Over the last 30 years, I've taken possession of at least 12 new vehicles and never ordered any of them. I'm pretty particular with the options I want but flexible on most little BS options that I don't care about. Maybe it's the density of dealerships in my area, but I've been able to either find what I wanted from dealer inventory or transferred between dealerships. I have 14 Jeep-Chrysler-Dodge-RAM dealers alone within a 30 mile radius and my preferred dealer has almost 200 RAMs in stock at any time. I'm bound to find one with options I want.

 

[Skyjockey]

Was at dealer last week and looked around at trucks on the lot. Same dealer a year ago have 2 lots out back full of trucks. Now he has 2 rows of them so pickings are VERY slim. Might get something close to what you want with a dealer search/swap? No idea how long a custom order will take? I wanted to custom order but at the time rebates and discounts were 25% off sticker. If I ordered and rebates were gone by time it was delivered oh well. Take risk on what you will pay

 

[Tracy in IL]

My six week wait turned into 6 months.

 

[BNeal]

And that is......?

https://www.ramforum.com/threads/heres-the-build-sheet-for-my-21-limited.164797/

 

[Sandevino]

https://www.ramforum.com/threads/heres-the-build-sheet-for-my-21-limited.164797/

Looks great! I nearly choked on my coffee looking at the total price.

 

[Elkman]

The problem I encountered with the trucks on dealer lots within 100 miles of my house is that very few had the 33-gallon gas tank, few had the electronic locking differential, and few had the off-road group. Many had the $3500 night appearance package or the $995 chrome appearance package and other no value additions. Color was not a problem so long as I wanted a white or black truck.

After seeing the serious problems with the 2019 trucks and the recalls required, I have decided to buy a 2021 in the spring of 2021 after the recals have been made and production quality control problems largely fixed.

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Ram/1500/2019/recalls/

The last thing I want to do is spend $50,000 on a truck and then finding myself stranded on the side of the highway or waking up in the hospital or spending weeks with my truck at the dealers to try and get defects fixed.

With the ongoing pandemic the economy is trashed and not likely to recover for many years. It may be wiser to leave my money in the bank. If I wait another 6 months the 2022 Toyota Tundra should be in production and from a quality control and reliability perspective that is probably the most prudent choice to make.

 

[RumRunner]

Ordered my last one, it was the first time I ordered and I will do it again. I couldn't find a CC with Rambox in a Laramie anywhere at the time. Dealer gave me all the same incentives as a truck on the lot, so it was a no brainer for me at the time.

 

[Papa Red]

Ordering is the best way to go and you do get the incentives.

Red