Buying strategy for 2019 Ram 1500

[rickj]

Hi All,

First time post here, but I've been lurking for some time gathering information on the 5th gen 1500. Great site!

I've recently stopped working and my wife will will stop working full-time at the end of this year, so we're in retirement planning mode. We're planning on picking up about a 26 to 27 foot travel trailer later this year or early next year for traveling and camping. Until recently we had a small and lightweight Trailmanor trailer, which we pulled behind our 2011 Dodge Durango Citadel V6.

Now to the point. Amazingly I / we've never actually owned a pickup truck, and have decided to get one that we'll use in retirement. We'll definitely use the truck and trailer for traveling, but we're also avid campers. I went through the usual gyrations of comparing the Ford to the Ram, but have settled on the Ram 1500. I have only bought a few new vehicles in my life and typically buy 1 - 3 year olds. However, with the significant improvements in the 2019 Ram it makes sense for me to get a 2019 if we can swing it. We typically keep our vehicles for a long time, so I expect we'll keep the truck we buy for at least 8 years, maybe more.

The Durango Citadel has us spoiled! We love and have become accustomed to all the technology. The truck will also be my daily driver as well as grocery shopping, etc. My wife drives a 2-seater BMW, so the truck will be the family car.

At this point I'm thinking about a used 2019 that we'll get in the Fall of this year once the 2020's are out. Hoping for a Laramie, but may have to settle on a Long Big Horn if properly equipped. We could probably afford a new one, but the most we have ever spent was about $29K for the Citadel. Too many other things to spend money on right now, so I'm not sure I can get myself to spend $45K! We're in CA so the sales tax bill will also be a factor. I'm hoping I can get a 2019 Laramie for sub $40K. Must-haves are the 5.7, 4x4, 5.7 bed, 3.92 rear axle, bucket seats, trailer tow group. I would like the off-road package or at least anti-spin or elocker, Level 2 equipment group, advanced safety group, bedliner.

Is this a pipe dream? Am I going to have to spend $40K + or get a older one?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Rick

 

[slimchance]

whatever you do be sure and look at the sticker inside the drivers door for the "payload" there is a link in the 5th Gen .. towing ... section that talks about the varying payloads ... some are as low as 1,000 #s and others go to around 1,700 #s ... this is the most important number you will look at ... i have a Passport 2520RL that we love, there again the GVWR is the max the trailer can weight when loaded and that is where the payload becomes important IF you want to take your wife along and be legal (weight wise) ... both our trks are Laramies and the payload on both is about 1600 #s ... the more equipment the trk has the lower the payload

 

[AndreiV]

Find a trailer you want first and then see if 1500 will do the job based on the real payload numbers. Tons of helpful info here on forum about payload capabilities.

 

[Turin]

I'm hoping I can get a 2019 Laramie for sub $40K. Must-haves are the 5.7, 4x4, 5.7 bed, 3.92 rear axle, bucket seats, trailer tow group. I would like the off-road package or at least anti-spin or elocker, Level 2 equipment group, advanced safety group, bedliner.

Is this a pipe dream? Am I going to have to spend $40K + or get a older one?

It sounds like you and your wife are about to start living the dream that my wife and I have; congratulations!

As for your plan, your biggest problem will probably be finding a truck with the right set of options, particularly if you're set on a 2019 model. You should be able to find something with the essentials readily enough but the nice-to-haves could be tough. Your description is pretty close to mine. While financially I would have preferred to get a late-model used truck I really wanted a 2019 for the redesigned interior. I couldn't find a truck with the features I wanted on a lot anywhere in the area, so I ended up ordering. (It should be here soon!)

A few additional things to consider:

• I recommend adding the 33-gallon fuel tank to your list since you're planning on towing.
• With the tow mirrors (part of the trailer tow group) you lose power folding and the surround camera function of the advanced safety group. I elected to get just the trailer brake controller for that reason.
• As slimchance said, check the payload sticker! There's a lot of variance depending on how the trucks are kitted out.

 

[rickj]

Thanks for the advice so far.

I think we're OK with the match up with the Laramie and our eventual trailer. We've got the trailer selection down to two trailers, with one being the clear front runner. Most likely we will end up with a Coachmen 231BBDS with a GVWR of 7500 lbs (UVW 5072 lbs) and hitch weight of 585 lbs. The other trailer's numbers are similar. Both well within the limits of the Laramie.

At this point I'm more interested in whether I'll be able to buy the the 2019 Laramie, Long Big Horn, or if I'll have to look at the Gen 4 models.

Thanks,
Rick

 

[Creep0321]

Thanks for the advice so far.

I think we're OK with the match up with the Laramie and our eventual trailer. We've got the trailer selection down to two trailers, with one being the clear front runner. Most likely we will end up with a Coachmen 231BBDS with a GVWR of 7500 lbs (UVW 5072 lbs) and hitch weight of 585 lbs. The other trailer's numbers are similar. Both well within the limits of the Laramie.

At this point I'm more interested in whether I'll be able to buy the the 2019 Laramie, Long Horn, or if I'll have to look at the Gen 4 models.

Thanks,
Rick

Big horn/ Lone star might be a nice option?

 

[rickj]

It sounds like you and your wife are about to start living the dream that my wife and I have; congratulations!

As for your plan, your biggest problem will probably be finding a truck with the right set of options, particularly if you're set on a 2019 model. You should be able to find something with the essentials readily enough but the nice-to-haves could be tough. Your description is pretty close to mine. While financially I would have preferred to get a late-model used truck I really wanted a 2019 for the redesigned interior. I couldn't find a truck with the features I wanted on a lot anywhere in the area, so I ended up ordering. (It should be here soon!)

A few additional things to consider:

• I recommend adding the 33-gallon fuel tank to your list since you're planning on towing.
• With the tow mirrors (part of the trailer tow group) you lose power folding and the surround camera function of the advanced safety group. I elected to get just the trailer brake controller for that reason.
• As slimchance said, check the payload sticker! There's a lot of variance depending on how the trucks are kitted out.

Thanks! The 33-gallon tank would definitely be an option I'd like to have. I had read some stuff about the mirrors and surround camera function, so I'll do some more research on that. Am I correct in assuming hat the manual tow mirrors are wider than the standard ones? On my last trailer with the Durango I was starting at the front corners of the trailer! I ended up installing a camera at the back of the trailer with a monitor on the dash, which help with the rearward visibility and lane changes.

Creep0321, I'd prefer the leather of the Laramie, but I read that the cloth seats on the Long Big Horn are pretty high quality. I've been giving some thought to ordering a new Long Big Horn, as it would give me the ability to get the options I want. In general, do you think ordering a new 1500 toward the end of the ordering season nets a much better price?

Based on looking at the online ads for used 2019s, I'm convinced that I definitely won't be able to find exactly what I want and may have to settle for something which is far less than I want. Maybe that the "price" I pay for opting for a 2019 versus a 2016 - 2018 Gen 4 Limited? Decisions, decisions...

Thanks again for all the responses so far!

 

[Turin]

Am I correct in assuming hat the manual tow mirrors are wider than the standard ones?

They're wider and can be rotated 90° (i.e. portrait or landscape orientation). From what I've read here the regular mirrors are big enough for towing. I'll get a set of strap-on tow-mirrors if that turns out to not be the case.

You keep saying "Long Horn" when I think you mean "Big Horn." The Laramie Longhorn is the trim level above Laramie (just below Limited). Big Horn is the trim level just below Laramie. With the Big Horn you would be giving up the leather-trimmed seats (among other things). On the plus side, right now Big Horns have the best incentives.

 

[yellowboy]

Bite the bullet if you can and get a new one. Any used new model vehicle for sale in the first year after production is likely a lemon.

 

[Rtl Colorado]

If it is just the leather that is the swing vote
Get the Bighorn and have the dealer
Or a vendor put in Katskin
The leather is better on the Katskin
And had that in my 4th gen bighorn

 

[klail]

The trims go like this from base to most expensive base price.

Tradesman- Usual work truck. Probably not for you
Bighorn- This looks to be your go to in that price range however some of the creature comforts might not be there such as bucket seats
Laramie- May be able to find a good deal on this but not all have the bucket seats either. They generally have more comfort due to leather, heated/cooled seats, option for largest display, etc
Rebel- Probably not for you. This is the offroad variant
Laramie Longhorn- Even more comfort. Special stitching in the leather. More tech, LED lights all around, 20 inch wheels. Options for more tech. Bucket seats in front
Limited- Most tech features come standard, 12 inch display, most creature comforts standard.

What I would do is go to https://www.ramtrucks.com/ and build out the ram that you would like. See what trim you could get all of your options on and when the time comes, try to find that truck and get as close to the price you are looking for. If you can't find your price range, then find the same truck but in the slightly older GEN 4.

Hopefully this makes sense. It did in my head but that's not saying much.

 

[slimchance]

rickj ... you said ...."Most likely we will end up with a Coachmen 231BBDS with a GVWR of 7500 lbs (UVW 5072 lbs) and hitch weight of 585 lbs. The other trailer's numbers are similar. Both well within the limits of the Laramie. " Coachmen makes good TT, just watch out the hitch weight of 585 #s is the EMPTY tongue weight (roughly 12%) ... you will only ever tow that trailer empty once on the way home from purchasing it AND be sure and read the "Post your door stickers" in this forum, because the payload limits are dependent on the stuff you get on the truck from the factory .. a Laramie can vary from around 1,200 #s to around 1,700 #s .. each and every trk is different and the dealers, both RV and Truck, are little to NO help it is purely buyer beware

 

[klail]

@rickj This is my door sticker for reference to @slimchance response. This is based on the Limited trim. The door sticker shows a much lower payload weight than some of the other trims that carry less equipment. Sorry the picture is kind of dark.

 

[rickj]

They're wider and can be rotated 90° (i.e. portrait or landscape orientation). From what I've read here the regular mirrors are big enough for towing. I'll get a set of strap-on tow-mirrors if that turns out to not be the case.

You keep saying "Long Horn" when I think you mean "Big Horn." The Laramie Longhorn is the trim level above Laramie (just below Limited). Big Horn is the trim level just below Laramie. With the Big Horn you would be giving up the leather-trimmed seats (among other things). On the plus side, right now Big Horns have the best incentives.

Oops. You're right. I did mean "Big Horn" and not the "Long Horn".

Thanks for catching that!

 

[dracktw]

Its possible my big horn was 55k sticker
I got 14k dealer discount + rebates