How to Get the Best Price on Your New Ram

[Silent Bob]

UPDATE: I am rarely updating this anymore so some of the information may be out of date. Check the most recent comments for new information. 2/11/22

With differing degrees of work you can get a good to great price on your new truck. We will start with the discounted price on the truck and cover rebates/incentives after.

Easy Method

For those who do not want to put in much effort, use just the Affiliate Pricing Program (FFP) at your local dealership. You will get 1% below Invoice Pricing (FWP) and any available incentives/rebates.

Check to see if your employer is part of the Affiliate Pricing Program LINK
If not join Tread Lightly for $100 - LINK
After joining you must wait 30 days before you take possession of the vehicle. This works at any dealership.

You can find invoice pricing for your model and all factory options at one of these websites.
NADA Guides - LINK
Car Connection - LINK

If you shop at one of the volume dealers listed later you can easily save more.

Get a Lower Price

Now that we know anyone can easily get 1% off the factory invoice this can be a starting point to negotiation for those willing to put in the work.
Make email contact with as many dealerships as possible and ask them for their best price. Go to websites and look for contacts for Sales Manager, Internet Sales Manager or Fleet Manager if possible. Those in the internet and fleet departments are used to giving lower prices than the general salesmen. Some fleet departments will not work with an individual and will pass you off. Looking for high volume dealers in adjacent states can often get you lower prices.

Rebates/Cash Incentives

There are other nationwide and local rebates and incentives available in addition to the ones below. For those doing a factory order you can lock in incentives at the time of ordering. Some salesman may not know this but it is a Chrysler (FCA) program. It does require some paperwork be done by the dealership. When your truck arrives you can take whatever is better. Either the incentives from the month you ordered or the month you truck arrives. You can not mix and match however. Keep in mind that your dealer must fill out the proper paperwork to lock in.

You can often get an emailed rebate by going to ramtrucks.com and giving them your email. It can be a popup so turn off you ad/popup blocker. If there is no popup try giving them your information in these three areas. LINK1 LINK2 LINK3
Click "Mail Me a Brochure" on the last one.

BonusDrive $250 Rebate - You or someone in your household must own, lease, or trade in a vehicle that is not a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, or Fiat. You do not need to be an Allstate customer for this - LINK

More Incentives
PenFed TrueCar - $1000 (does not combine with military $500) LINK
TrueCar - $500 LINK
Future Farmers of America (FFA) - $500 LINK
More Offers currently including Military Personnel $500, First Responder Personnel $500, and DriveAbility Disability Assistance $1000 LINK
Ram Incentives & Rebates List LINK1 LINK2
USAA no longer offers cash incentives.

You can call FCA Incentives at 1-800-227-0757 to help you figure out which rebates you can use. Helpfulness varies on who you talk to.

Volume Dealers

These are some dealers known to have low prices. If distance is a problem you can do a "fly & drive", have it shipped, or use the numbers to negotiate locally. Another possibility would be a free Courtesy Delivery LINK

Bud Clary in Washington State LINK
Mark Dodge in Louisiana LINK
Criswell in Maryland LINK
Koons in Virginia LINK
Dennis Dillon in Idaho LINK
Lakeland in Florida LINK

These gentlemen are offering members of this forum great pricing.

Aaron Ginsburgh, New Car Sales Manager at Mark Dodge in Louisiana
Tell him Silent Bob from 5thGenRams Forum sent you.
Cell 318-792-1220 (text is great)
[email protected]

Gary is offering invoice pricing minus dealer holdback.
You can find invoice pricing and dealer holdback for your model and all factory options at one of these websites.
NADA Guides - LINK
Car Connection - LINK

Gary Spencer, Sales Manager at Bud Clary in Moses Lake, Washington
Tell him Silent Bob from 5thGenRams Forum sent you.
Email [email protected] (Best Contact Method)
Office Number 509-765-4517 ext 4107
Cell 509-760-0175

Extended Warranty/Service Contacts

If you want an extended warranty, or if there is any chance the dealer will talk you into one, please check prices before you go to the dealership.

"Who better to protect your vehicle than the company who built your vehicle? Mopar Vehicle Protection is the only service contract provider backed by FCA and honored at all Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and FIAT dealerships across North America. Have peace of mind knowing your vehicle is being serviced by factory-trained technicians using certified Mopar parts."

The simplest thing to do is go to Ziegler and use one of the below codes. If you want to save a few bucks more use this link. LINK

Zeigler Factory Plans LINK

Ziegler Codes
PAYINFULL gives you $365 off if you pay the full balance.
These two codes are used with the financing option.
HAPPY gives you $250 off.
DAMON2 gives you $200 off

The Best Time to Buy Your Ram

This link has advice on when you are likely to get the best price on your new truck. LINK

Rebate vs. lower interest: Which car incentive is right for you?

If you have to choose between lower cost or lower interest. Includes a rebate vs interest calculator. LINK

Lock in Incentives & Rebates on Factory Orders​

We have factory confirmation that you can definitely lock in current incentives, including Chrysler Capital special financing, on factory orders. LINK

Percentage off MSRP

UPDATE: Because of supply shortages you may not be able to get numbers good as these for the next year or two. 2/11/22

In my opinion you should be getting at least 16% off the MSRP including rebates and incentives. The total number you should be using to determine your percentage off should include the total (with rebates and incentives) before trade in, taxes, and any required government fees. Your number should include dealer add-ons you did not request and any dealer fees not listed on the factory invoice, document fees, prep fees, etc. You can use one of these two links to find the factory MSRP and invoice price of the truck and all options. LINK LINK
Try For More 14% to 15%
Good Discount 16% to 18%
Great Discount 19% to 23%
Amazingly Rare Discount 24% or more

Sample Email

Hello,

My name is [name] and I am looking to factory order a new truck this month. I know I can get 1% below factory invoice from any dealership with my affiliate number. I am really looking to get 5 to 8% off now plus any available incentives or rebates. I will be ordering from the dealership that provides me the lowest price. What is the best you can do for me?

Please provide me with your best detailed out the door price including all fees and please be competitive as I am contacting several dealers.

Thanks so much and I look forward to hearing back from you.

All the best,


Here are some excellent links on how to save the most money.

Surprising tips for car shopping in Internet age LINK
This forums thread "Price negotiated from MSRP" LINK
Five-part investigative series on car buying LINK
Why Invoice is the New MSRP LINK

Another Technique

James Bragg technique (below) for car buying suggests calling but can also be applied to emailing if you prefer.

”¢ First, find the best price offered by dealers on your favorite car-buying website. Get both a price for the car and a detailed “out-the-door” price, including motor vehicle department fees, sales taxes and any dealer charges for documentation, etc. Then keep that number in your hip pocket.

”¢ On the weekend before the last 3, 4 or 5 consecutive weekdays of the month, check dealer inventories online. Many stores list it there. Choose 5 or 6 stores (ideally, but not necessarily, with cars you’d buy if the price were right), even if some are 50 or more miles away. More remote dealers may see you as a sale they’d never make and sell at a better price than they’d offer their neighbors.

”¢ Call their Internet sales managers on the 1st morning if there are 3 consecutive weekdays, the 2nd morning if there are 4, the 3rd if there are 5. Describe the car you want in detail, say you’re ready to buy by month-end, that you’re contacting a limited number of dealers to get price proposals and you’d like to get one from that store. That you need both the price of the car and an itemized out-the-door price (with the details listed above) by phone or email by 11:00 AM the next morning. (Be sure they know your location, so they can figure the sales tax correctly.)

”¢ Say you’ll call all responders that next afternoon, tell them the best out-the-door price and give them one shot at beating it. (It’s none of their business where it came from.) You’re ready to buy, and you want someone to knock your socks off at month-end. But you won’t buy from anyone who doesn’t participate from the beginning.

”¢ The next morning call those you haven’t heard from by 11:00 AM, tell them you have proposals from other dealers and you’re waiting for their response. If any responses have been incomplete, call and ask for the missing info. Call everyone that afternoon with the best out-the-door offer. If the initial o-t-d price from the online car-buying site is the best Round 1 offer, use that price in those calls. (When you’re eliminating the cost of the middleman, that won’t happen often. But it could happen.)

”¢ The store offering the best o-t-d price is the winner. “There will be no third round.” Ask the winner to confirm all the numbers via email because you hate surprises, and say you’re looking forward to giving that store nothing but the highest scores in the questionnaire about how you were treated. Make an appointment to sign the papers and pick up the car. Finally, as a courtesy, call the other dealers to thank them for participating.

__________________________________________________________________

Put in your trade in information at Carvana LINK and Vroom LINK to get some sample prices.

Walk Away

Here’s the best part of the “walk away” strategy: if you tell a salesperson or a private seller, “Thanks, but this just isn’t the deal that I’m looking for,” and you leave, they might call you in two hours to say they’ve got a better price.

If you don’t hear from the seller, and you really want the car, you can always call them back and tell them you’ve changed your mind, that you realized it’s a nice car and a pretty good deal, that you’re willing to take it now, etc.. You can do this and know that you’ve negotiated for the best price while also saving face.

My Deal

My best deal on a factory order was 19.17% off MSRP

14.76% off MSRP before rebates/incentives
19.17% off MSRP with $3250 rebates/incentives.
7.08% off Invoice before rebates/incentives
11.89% off Invoice with $3250 rebates/incentives.

 

[mikeru82]

Silent Bob makin' a little noise...I like it.

 

[Hydroblueguy]

This is a work in progress. Please reply with any additional strategies and information.

With differing degrees of work you can get a good to great price on your new truck. We will start with the discounted price on the truck and cover rebates/incentives at the end.

For those who do not want to put in much effort use the just the Affiliate Pricing Program and any available rebates.
You will get 1% below Invoice Pricing (FWP)
Check to see if your employer is part of the Affiliate Pricing Program LINK
If not join Access Fund for $50 LINK
or
Tread Lightly for $100 LINK
You must join 30 days before you take possession of the vehicle. This works at any dealership.

You can find invoice pricing for your model and all factory options at one of these websites.
NADA Guides LINK
Car Connection LINK

Now that we know anyone can easily get 1% off the factory invoice this can be a starting point for negotiation for those willing to put in the work.
Make email contact with as many dealerships as possible and ask them for their best price. Go to websites and look for contacts for Sales Manager, Internet Sales Manager or Fleet Manager if possible. Those in the internet and fleet departments are used to giving lower prices than the general salesmen. Some fleet departments will not work with an individual and will pass you off. Looking for high volume dealers in adjacent states can often get you lower prices.

Work in progress
I will finish this soon

I drove 1000 miles each way in a weekend to buy my 19 ram. Saved me 5000 over anywhere else!

 

[RRSBighorn]

Below is part of a post I made on a different thread. I had never bought online before, but I learned a lot from working with a Internet sales person, who was the salesman of the month for a couple of years in a row at his dealership. The floor sales guys said there was no way to compete with the internet guy, walk-ins versus the dozens of online car sales with inflow of emails and quote requests. I don't remember all of the details, of how they price things on the internet, but I was very skeptical at first. I was shown invoice and explained the typical kick back dealer cost based on volumes. A $50 or $100 over dealer invoice isn't necessarily a great deal. If I remember right, this internet sale person wasn't paid directly off of commission like the floor sales people, so you didn't have to play the negotiating games with offers and counter offers that are typical of the sales game with the sales person and manager. It's probably different for rural dealers that don't sell a of volume.

Posted from different thread
I forgot to mention, and I don't know if this would apply at rural dealers, the internet sales person is who you want to talk (if they sell online) to to get the best deal. If you go in and talk to the floor salesperson, they are going to negotiate the price and typically only on vehicles on their lot the old fashion way. You could pay much more than someone buying from the online internet sales depending on your negotiation skills. The internet online sales person sells by volume and they give you the bottom line price, and they have the ability to search other dealers in a given radius for the vehicle you want. You have to give them a CC with deposit to start the search, but you can look at dealers inventories yourself. The dealer told me he couldn't find what I wanted, but I located one and told the Internet sales guy. He called and had the truck transferred free of charge. Some dealers are not part of the network, so it's not guaranteed you can get the truck you find on your own. It's was a no haggle price, kind of like CarMax. I got the $11.6k off just like the online price said, with no haggling.

 

[fsjosh]

SAM's Club (wholesale market) - $1000 LINK

Do you know how to get this? The link just goes to a page with a sign up link. I already have an account and can't find reference to that $1,000 credit anywhere but that link page.

 

[User_3336]

you forgot the BONUSDRIVE $250 rebate.

 

[Silent Bob]

you forgot the BONUSDRIVE $250 rebate.

That's the Allstate one.
$250 Rebate - You do not need to be an Allstate customer for this - LINK

 

[Silent Bob]

Do you know how to get this? The link just goes to a page with a sign up link. I already have an account and can't find reference to that $1,000 credit anywhere but that link page.

I think it is generated when you start a search process with their Truecar portal. I have heard you do not need to buy from them to use it but I am not sure.

 

[fsjosh]

I think it is generated when you start a search process with their Truecar portal. I have heard you do not need to buy from them to use it but I am not sure.

Logging in to the sams club truecar portal, it wants you to give your email and phone number to them for a dealer to contact you. Seems like they’ve made it so you have to go that way to get the discount.

 

[User_3336]

That's the Allstate one.
$250 Rebate - You do not need to be an Allstate customer for this - LINK

You do not need to be an ALLSTATE customer, however, its sponsored by BonusDrive, not Allstate.
BonusDrive sends you the check, not Allstate.
Perhaps clarify that in your original post.
There is an entire thread about the $250 Bonus Drive Incentive.
Stipulations are you MUST either trade in a competitive brand vehicle (not an FCA product) OR provide proof of ownership of a competitive brand.

 

[Silent Bob]

Logging in to the sams club truecar portal, it wants you to give your email and phone number to them for a dealer to contact you. Seems like they’ve made it so you have to go that way to get the discount.

I think it is generated when you start a search process with their Truecar portal. You do not need to buy the car to get the offer. Others have said that you do not need to buy the car through Truecar to use it. If anyone can verify this that would be of help.

I always give a real email address but a fake phone number to all these car buying sites if a number is required. Otherwise you get way to many sales calls.

 

[Silent Bob]

You do not need to be an ALLSTATE customer, however, its sponsored by BonusDrive, not Allstate.
BonusDrive sends you the check, not Allstate.
Perhaps clarify that in your original post.
There is an entire thread about the $250 Bonus Drive Incentive.
Stipulations are you MUST trade in a competitive brand vehicle (not an FCA product)

Thanks for the information I will make some changes.
I knew it was BonusDrive but just put in Allstate because anyone can use it. I thought it would be less confusing but I was wrong.
According to their site "BonusDrive is only available to members of select organizations and those that offer it as a benefit to employees" It appears anyone can use it through the Allstate link. That is why you want to use the Allstate portal and not directly through BonusDrive.
You do not need to trade in a competitive brand vehicle. You or someone in your household must own, lease, or trade in a vehicle that is not a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, or Fiat.

 

[fsjosh]

I think it is generated when you start a search process with their Truecar portal. You do not need to buy the car to get the offer. Others have said that you do not need to buy the car through Truecar to use it. If anyone can verify this that would be of help.

I always give a real email address but a fake phone number to all these car buying sites if a number is required. Otherwise you get way to many sales calls.

I got an email from a dealer, but it didn't include a code. Theres a $1,000 discount listed on the vehicle pricing, but it looks like that's if you buy through the process. I may try to contact sams directly to see if there's a way to get a certificate. Since that link page has a 2018 date on it, I suspect it's changed to the truecar method.

 

[User_3336]

Thanks for the information I will make some changes.
I knew it was BonusDrive but just put in Allstate because anyone can use it. I thought it would be less confusing but I was wrong.
According to their site "BonusDrive is only available to members of select organizations and those that offer it as a benefit to employees" It appears anyone can use it through the Allstate link. That is why you want to use the Allstate portal and not directly through BonusDrive.
You do not need to trade in a competitive brand vehicle. You or someone in your household must own, lease, or trade in a vehicle that is not a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, or Fiat.

My bad. But you DO need to provide ownership such as a current registration.

 

[Silent Bob]

My bad. But you DO need to provide ownership such as a current registration.

Correct, you will need to upload a copy or photo of insurance card, title, or registration of the non-FCA vehicle.

 

[User_3336]

Correct, you will need to upload a copy or photo of insurance card, title, or registration of the non-FCA vehicle.

• What is a conquest purchase?
  +
  Participation in BonusDrive when purchasing an FCA branded vehicle (Chrysler, Dodge, FIAT®, Jeep®, Ram,) requires a “conquest sale”.
  For purposes of this program, a “conquest sale” is defined as:
  The purchase of a brand new FCA vehicle where by a competitive brand vehicle (non-FCA brand) is replaced
  OR
  In cases where an FCA branded vehicle is traded-in to purchase a new FCA branded vehicle, the BonusDrive applicant can also demonstrate ownership of at least one non-FCA branded vehicle in their household.
• Can you provide an example of conquest purchases?
  +
  Example 1: An applicant currently owns a Ford Explorer and trades the vehicle in and buys a new Jeep Wrangler. Ford is a competing manufacturer so this qualifies as a conquest buyer.
  Example 2: An applicant trades in her Chrysler 200 and leases a new Dodge Challenger. Although the applicant traded in a FCA vehicle for another FCA vehicle, the applicant still qualifies because her husband owns a Nissan Rouge. Since the household owns a non-FCA vehicle she is eligible.
  Example 3: An applicant’s lease expires on their 2015 Ram 1500 and they lease a new Ram 1500. Although the applicant traded a Ram for a Ram, the applicant also owns a 2017 Honda Accord, so the applicant will qualify as a conquest buyer because she owns a competing manufacturer’s brand.
• 
  
• 
  
• Can you provide an example purchase/lease that is not a conquest and therefore won’t qualify for the $250 rebate from FCA?
  +
  Example: An applicant owns a Jeep Grand Cherokee, her daughter turns 16 and she decides to lease her a Jeep Renegade.
  Because the applicant only owns/leases FCA vehicles the applicant will not qualify as a conquest buyer.
• How do you prove that you or a household member have a non-FCA vehicle?
  +
  The BonusDrive application will provide a detailed list of acceptable documentation and instructions on how to upload it by either attaching a photo or a photocopy. Examples of documentation:
  Title for non FCA vehicle
  Registration card
  Insurance card or policy
  Trade in documentation such as the bill of sale

 

[Silent Bob]

• What is a conquest purchase?
  +
  Participation in BonusDrive when purchasing an FCA branded vehicle (Chrysler, Dodge, FIAT®, Jeep®, Ram,) requires a “conquest sale”.
  For purposes of this program, a “conquest sale” is defined as:
  The purchase of a brand new FCA vehicle where by a competitive brand vehicle (non-FCA brand) is replaced
  OR
  In cases where an FCA branded vehicle is traded-in to purchase a new FCA branded vehicle, the BonusDrive applicant can also demonstrate ownership of at least one non-FCA branded vehicle in their household.
• Can you provide an example of conquest purchases?
  +
  Example 1: An applicant currently owns a Ford Explorer and trades the vehicle in and buys a new Jeep Wrangler. Ford is a competing manufacturer so this qualifies as a conquest buyer.
  Example 2: An applicant trades in her Chrysler 200 and leases a new Dodge Challenger. Although the applicant traded in a FCA vehicle for another FCA vehicle, the applicant still qualifies because her husband owns a Nissan Rouge. Since the household owns a non-FCA vehicle she is eligible.
  Example 3: An applicant’s lease expires on their 2015 Ram 1500 and they lease a new Ram 1500. Although the applicant traded a Ram for a Ram, the applicant also owns a 2017 Honda Accord, so the applicant will qualify as a conquest buyer because she owns a competing manufacturer’s brand.
• 
  
• 
  
• Can you provide an example purchase/lease that is not a conquest and therefore won’t qualify for the $250 rebate from FCA?
  +
  Example: An applicant owns a Jeep Grand Cherokee, her daughter turns 16 and she decides to lease her a Jeep Renegade.
  Because the applicant only owns/leases FCA vehicles the applicant will not qualify as a conquest buyer.
• How do you prove that you or a household member have a non-FCA vehicle?
  +
  The BonusDrive application will provide a detailed list of acceptable documentation and instructions on how to upload it by either attaching a photo or a photocopy. Examples of documentation:
  Title for non FCA vehicle
  Registration card
  Insurance card or policy
  Trade in documentation such as the bill of sale

Good information on Conquest but it may confuse some people in to thinking they need a trade in. This looks like it is from the standard BonusDrive site and not the preferred Allstate site. Let's make sure we do not confuse the two. The Allstate BonusDrive link is the one we want to use.

 

[User_3336]

Good information on Conquest but it may confuse some people in to thinking they need a trade in. This looks like it is from the standard BonusDrive site and not the preferred Allstate site. Let's make sure we do not confuse the two. The Allstate BonusDrive link is the one we want to use.

Allstate really isn't a "preferred" method to claim a Bonus Drive $250 check. As a matter of fact, you can start from the main BONUSDRIVE page, and it will tell if you are eligible. And you CAN use the Allstate link.
There are many employers that are eligible as well.

 

[User_3336]

Regarding TRUECAR, in the end, the dealer has to pay TRUECAR a $299 fee for referrals and using their website. So the dealer is going to get that $299 from YOU in some form of fashion.
The dealer gives TRUECAR access to the sales records.

 

[Silent Bob]

Allstate really isn't a "preferred" method to claim a Bonus Drive $250 check. As a matter of fact, you can start from the main BONUSDRIVE page, and it will tell if you are eligible. And you CAN use the Allstate link.
There are many employers that are eligible as well.

View attachment 75073

It is the preferred method precisely because you don't have to worry if you qualify or not and because you also do not need to worry about a trade in. Until the Allstate portal stops working we can ignore the standard site. It adds unneeded steps that may confuse people.

This is evidenced in the main post on this subject where multiple people are confused by the requirement and multiple posts telling them to use the Allstate link.