Considering a 2019 Laramie Crew Cab...

[ders0]

Hi Everyone,

First post here as I'm looking for some advice on a truck my dealer has submitted a dealer trade for.

I went into the dealer with a good idea of what I wanted - Big Horn (mostly because of incentives), black appearance package, sun roof, ram box, etc...

Of course no trucks that matched these features (especially ram box) were available.

The dealer also talked me up to Laramie as the incentives were the same which is actually what I would have wanted had I not been under the impression the Big Horns were more heavily discounted. I left the dealer with basically the salesman telling me to decide which features I can live without or come back if I'd like to place a factory order, but he can't guarantee either the incentives or his deal of giving me the truck at my affiliate pricing + him only keeping 250 of the holdback (additional 1500 off FFP) and the 5K of incentives currently available.

I was able to find a Laramie that met most of my requirements at a dealer about 100 miles away that my dealer submitted a trade for so I can take a look at it. It should be here in the next few days.

I'm torn on whether to just take this truck rather than going the factory order route to get exactly what I want.

The truck is as follows:
Laramie 4x4 - 5.7 (no etorque)
Crew Cab
Black appearance package - This is one feature I'm torn on. I loved the black package on the big horn. Not so much on the Laramie. Mostly because i think the 22" wheels look awful and can't even imagine the cost of replacing the rubber. So I don't think this is necessarily worth the 3500 dollars and I might just prefer the sport package. I don't really like the chrome on the new Rams so color match is somewhat of a requirement for me.
Level 2 Equipment Group - Does this package include the 360 surround view? I'm having trouble telling whether that's a standard feature in this group or if I need that expensive safety package to get that feature.
Pano Sunroof
Black Tubular Side Steps - I'd kind of prefer to get my own aftermarket if this truck didn't come with them already. Any comments or thoughts on the quality of the OEM side steps?
Unconnect 4c NAV with 12" Display - If I'm going Laramie this is a requirement because why not....
Rambox - Absolute requirement which has made my search difficult. Question on this - Does this come with that bed extender/divider bar or do you need the Cargo Management Group for that? And can the Cargo Management Group be added aftermarket (not the bedliner, but the rails that help the divider bar divide the bed)?


These are the features I wish the truck had which is kind of why I'm wavering. I know some of these can be added after the fact, but I'd rather not have to.

Anti Slip - I live in MN, so lots of snow and ice. I've never owned a 4x4 vehicle (my first truck was a 2000 Sonoma 5 spd so sandbags were my friend) so if I've made it through 14 years of MN winter driving without 4x4 it seems silly to be caught up on not having LSD and I hear mixed reviews on whether it's actually better than an open differential on snow or ice so I'm not actually sure whether it's good or bad that this truck does not have these feature. However I feel that if i was to factory order I would add the anti slip. Any thoughts on this?

Rear seat storage - Are there good aftermarket options for this or should i see if my dealer can order/add this?

Rear Wheel Liners - I'm going to ask my dealer to at minimum order these for me and I can install them if need be.

LED Lighting Package - How is this not standard on a 62K truck...?



So all in all the options that I would like to have that aren't present on this truck are fairly minimal, but I feel if I was to order I could basically for the same price as this truck swap the black package for the sport package and add the anti slip, rear seat storage, and rear wheel liners. But I also don't want to pass up what I'd consider a pretty good deal on this truck if I can get 12-13K off MSRP.

Any advice or suggestions on this build or these options would be great.

Thank you all.

 

[cjfioren]

I believe the Laramie trim and above come standard with LED. I have yet to see any without. Wheelhouse liners are a $120 for dealer install, so I would make that part of the deal.

 

[ders0]

I believe the Laramie trim and above come standard with LED. I have yet to see any without. Wheelhouse liners are a $120 for dealer install, so I would make that part of the deal.

Thank you. That is good to know. I scoured the window sticker looking for anything related to lighting and only noticed the black bezels as part of the black appearance package.

I also just noticed the rear seat storage is part of the level 2 package - So my bad on that. This truck is equipped with this option.

So then it's really a matter of whether I can live without the LSD.

 

[Goatmann]

with it being a 4X4 does it have the elocker? find out the cost of the LSD vs E-locker. if either of these are a must have, negotiate the one you want most into the deal.

 

[ders0]

with it being a 4X4 does it have the elocker? find out the cost of the LSD vs E-locker. if either of these are a must have, negotiate the one you want most into the deal.

I don't believe so. Here is the sticker. Can either an LSD or E-locker be added without completely replacing the backend?

 

[CarRamRod]

I believe the Laramie trim and above come standard with LED. I have yet to see any without. Wheelhouse liners are a $120 for dealer install, so I would make that part of the deal.

This is true except for the inexplicable cargo lights that are still halogen. Not a big issue as you can change them out for about $9, but strange that literally every other light is LED.

 

[Goatmann]

Can either an LSD or E-locker be added?

that is the question you'd need to ask your dealer. they then will or will not wish to work with you, so calling a few dealers and asking would give you the best answer.

 

[Billy James]

I initially wanted a Big Horn Quad Cab; but couldn't find one with my "must have" options (3.92, LSD, Alpine System, Trailer Brake Control, Rear Wheel Liners). I'm a little old school; so I actually like the chrome and was looking for chrome. I didn't want the 12" Uconnect because I thought it was overkill and I wasn't interested in NAV; plus I didn't want to pay for a replacement 12" after the warranty expires and it fails. Sunroof was a want; but not a necessity. RAMBOX was also something I wasn't interested in; I like the functionality of it but not the look. Factory spray in liner was a need for me; but not a deal breaker. I really wanted a simple truck.
No matter how far I searched I could not find the truck I wanted in stock. When I talked to a couple dealers they told me incentives were better on the in stock inventory. So, I saw a Laramie 4x4 with 3.92, LSD,Level 1, Alpine (part of Laramie), trailer brake control, rear wheel liners, 8.4 UConnect, 5.7 no e-torque, Bed Utility Group, Chrome Group, etc.. I drove it and realized I could live with it and that I actually liked some of the Crew Cab Laramie features that I would not have gotten with the Big Horn. With the dealer and factory incentives (coupled with a couple other incentives I qualified for) I was offered a deal I couldn't pass up; almost 22% off MSRP. So, I bought it.
My recommendation is to decide which features are deal breakers for you. For me, the deal breakers were 4x4, LSD, 3.92, Alpine, and Trailer Brake Controller. Then see if you can find something close on the lot. If they don't offer you at least 10% to 12% off MSRP for one on the lot; then order what you want. The bottom line is that you need to be happy with your purchase. I bought a different truck than I initially thought that I wanted and I am very pleased. I love my truck because it has all my "must haves" even though there are a few "nice to haves" that are not on it.
I guess the only feature that I don't have that I would want is the 360 degree camera. I think that may be part of Level 2 Group and 12" Uconnect. But, my mirrors can be set to tilt down in reverse; so that works for me.

Anti-Slip: This was a "must have" for me. Even on rainy days in Florida the anti-slip is beneficial when pulling out from a stop; especially when turning. I have a friend with a 2016 RAM, no LSD and he constantly complains about the rear tire spinning on wet roads. You probably want to get this new and not retrofit it.

Rear Seat Storage: I don't have it and I don't miss it. The two storage bins in the floor are good enough for me. Plus my floor is flat with the seats folded up; which is great for my dogs.

LED Lighting: I'm pretty sure my Laramie has LED Lighting. Although the shape of the Limited headlights is pretty cool compared to Laramie.

Rear Wheel Liners: This was on my wish list and I have them. They don't cost much and they look really good. You can add these yourself later.

12" Uconnect: I have nothing against it; but I like the 8.4".

Level 2 Group: Not much there I needed above the Level 1 Group (I would have bought it; but it wasn't a great desire).

 

[Shadow14]

We went from a 2015 Big Horn to 2019 Laramie and are happy with it. It is pretty basic with the only option being the limited slip but nicer than the Bighorn was with the LED lights and leather. After all of the complaints about the drain system and water leaks, I'm not so sure the sunroof is a good option though.

 

[foolsh1]

The Truck sounds very close to mine, except the 12". I to took what was on the lot, they had about 8 Laramie Sport editions and 2 were the Black editions.
I chose mine because I Didn't want the power step, and it did have the E-torque, which I wanted. also between 12" or the sunroof, I think I would enjoy more sunshine than the screen( I still think it looks awesome though). So I guess my ADVICE for you would hold /order what you want, these things are not cheap!

 

[steveved]

I didn't like the side steps on my Laramie and had the dealer remove them and not charge me for them. And $700 for steps is ridiculous. I bought ones I really like for $250.

The Laramie's do really have LED lights. Just not projector beams. I like them. Way better than the lights on my old Silverado.

If I were you, I'd go for it. Looks like a good deal.

 

[ders0]

The Truck sounds very close to mine, except the 12". I to took what was on the lot, they had about 8 Laramie Sport editions and 2 were the Black editions.
I chose mine because I Didn't want the power step, and it did have the E-torque, which I wanted. also between 12" or the sunroof, I think I would enjoy more sunshine than the screen( I still think it looks awesome though). So I guess my ADVICE for you would hold /order what you want, these things are not cheap!

Is the 47003 what you ended up paying? If so that's amazing. Great looking truck too. The dealer actually has one without the sun roof (which I had considered a requirement), but with the anti-slip and wheelhouse liners. And I was actually previously unaware of all these sun roof issues until reading more threads on this forum which are making me nervous, so maybe I'll actually take the other truck that was on his lot all along....

Only thing with that one is it has the power side steps which aren't going to hold up with the salt on Minnesota roads. Maybe I'll see if they'll remove those and knock 1,000 dollars off the truck.

Edit: One more thing... Does your Laramie has the 360 view camera with that level 2 equipment group? Or is that only if you buy the safety package?

 

[ders0]

I didn't like the side steps on my Laramie and had the dealer remove them and not charge me for them. And $700 for steps is ridiculous. I bought ones I really like for $250.

The Laramie's do really have LED lights. Just not projector beams. I like them. Way better than the lights on my old Silverado.

If I were you, I'd go for it. Looks like a good deal.

Thanks for the advice. And I agree on the side steps, I'm not sure I'm a fan. The other one I was looking at has the power ones and those are 1000. And I definitely don't want those. It's good to know that some dealers are cool with removing them.

 

[meltedcheez]

Sounds like you are getting a good deal on the truck and it has most of the options you want. I'd say go for it! Others mentioned there have been issues with ordering the Rambox lately, back ordered and such. It might be a case of whether you want it now or laaaaater.

 

[foolsh1]

Is the 47003 what you ended up paying? If so that's amazing. Great looking truck too. The dealer actually has one without the sun roof (which I had considered a requirement), but with the anti-slip and wheelhouse liners. And I was actually previously unaware of all these sun roof issues until reading more threads on this forum which are making me nervous, so maybe I'll actually take the other truck that was on his lot all along....

Only thing with that one is it has the power side steps which aren't going to hold up with the salt on Minnesota roads. Maybe I'll see if they'll remove those and knock 1,000 dollars off the truck.

Edit: One more thing... Does your Laramie has the 360 view camera with that level 2 equipment group? Or is that only if you buy the safety package?

I paid a little more, that was Employee price, But I got a very nice Supplier price. I agree on the power steps, I am in Michigan and the salt is a killer! Plus If you go up to the UP( Upper Peninsula) It might get Frozen in place? No thanks! On the sunroof? I have NOT had a problem, but it is cold and I havent really used it? My truck was built in Mid September, so remember what people might be having problems with might be early builds? In my business, you should never buy the first model year, it takes a couple years to get the bugs out! Also, No it does Not have the 360 view, you need the Safety Package.
Good luck on your decision, it is a very nice truck!

 

[ders0]

Sounds like you are getting a good deal on the truck and it has most of the options you want. I'd say go for it! Others mentioned there have been issues with ordering the Rambox lately, back ordered and such. It might be a case of whether you want it now or laaaaater.

Thanks that's good to know regarding the back order on the Ram Box. May explain why dealer inventory is so low on them two. There seem to be like less than 5 trucks with this option within 150 miles of me per Ram's horrible inventory locator on their website.

It's kind of funny to me though as it's the main feature they push in all their advertisements.

 

[Jordan2929]

If you're nor 100% satisified with what you're getting.... order it. Wait the 8 weeks and you'll get a truck you have absolutely no regrets about. And the laramie comes standard with led's.

 

[ders0]

I paid a little more, that was Employee price, But I got a very nice Supplier price. I agree on the power steps, I am in Michigan and the salt is a killer! Plus If you go up to the UP( Upper Peninsula) It might get Frozen in place? No thanks! On the sunroof? I have NOT had a problem, but it is cold and I havent really used it? My truck was built in Mid September, so remember what people might be having problems with might be early builds? In my business, you should never buy the first model year, it takes a couple years to get the bugs out! Also, No it does Not have the 360 view, you need the Safety Package.
Good luck on your decision, it is a very nice truck!

Ahh so you're in a snowy/icy climate as well. Any concerns with not having the LSD on your truck?

 

[foolsh1]

Ahh so you're in a snowy/icy climate as well. Any concerns with not having the LSD on your truck?

No not really, I think it will be fine without it, plus we haven't seen any real snow yet! I am just dying to push the 4 auto or 4 hi button! What does make me a little nervous is the tires, they are Touring tires, not really aggressive, they are great and smooth for the highway, but for snow or off-road, I would definitely look at something else. But I bought this to be a on-road Hauler, for towing and cruising, so it does not worry me too much, have to wait and see the first REAL snow we get?

 

[mmhoium]

I'm also in MN, within a week of getting my truck I noticed the advantage of Anti Slip on that 12/1 storm we had. Get it.

Second, it's a large amount of money, get what you want the first time around or you'll probably regret it. I ordered and received my truck in 5 weeks. 5 weeks went pretty fast.

And third, if you are in the Twin Cities, 18%-20% off MSRP is fairly easy to obtain - mine was 26% off MSRP on an ordered truck. Push back, dealers are hungry around here...