Future owner with a few questions

[SickSix]

Hi all! Been lurking on the site for awhile and decided to make my first post now that I have narrowed down my decision. This will be my first RAM, and first truck. Currently in a 2015 Ford Explorer Limited.

I'm looking to get a 2020 1500 Limited 4x2, HEMI w/ etorque, 3.21 gears, Black Appearance Package (BAP), Advanced safety group package, and sunroof. I could also go with a Laramie for the right price and similar options. No nearby dealerships have the build I want, so it looks like I will have to get one ordered. I've done this before with Ford, but they took my trade-in and we settled on price and did purchase paperwork all when the vehicle was ordered. They gave me a loaner for the time it took to build mine (approx 8 weeks). As I understand it, Ram doesn't work that way.

QUESTIONS:
1. Is this the correct process for ordering: Give deposit, place order, and when truck is delivered you do trade-in and complete purchase paperwork?
2. If so, how/when do you negotiate the price, and are rebates based on when it's delivered or ordered?
3. Is it possible to get the BAP w/o tonneau cover? I'd prefer a hard cover aftermarket I think.
4. Is it possible to get the surround view camera and park assist without the rest of the safety group package?
5. Are there any issues with USB thumb drives to play music? Can you use Android Auto simultaneously?
6. And the big one... what should I expect to pay, before rebates?

I know there are probably other threads that answer most of these questions, but there are so many it's difficult to read through them all. If you know of exact threads that would be helpful, please link them for me. Thanks and I look forward to being a part of the community!

J

 

[Cravenfan]

Hi all! Been lurking on the site for awhile and decided to make my first post now that I have narrowed down my decision. This will be my first RAM, and first truck. Currently in a 2015 Ford Explorer Limited.

I'm looking to get a 2020 1500 Limited 4x2, HEMI w/ etorque, 3.21 gears, Black Appearance Package (BAP), Advanced safety group package, and sunroof. I could also go with a Laramie for the right price and similar options. No nearby dealerships have the build I want, so it looks like I will have to get one ordered. I've done this before with Ford, but they took my trade-in and we settled on price and did purchase paperwork all when the vehicle was ordered. They gave me a loaner for the time it took to build mine (approx 8 weeks). As I understand it, Ram doesn't work that way.

QUESTIONS:
1. Is this the correct process for ordering: Give deposit, place order, and when truck is delivered you do trade-in and complete purchase paperwork? Yes.
2. If so, how/when do you negotiate the price, and are rebates based on when it's delivered or ordered? Rebates based on delivery date, don't let anyone kid you on this. It's a crapshoot, but assuming given the economics of COVID-19, it is a good time to buy.
3. Is it possible to get the BAP w/o tonneau cover? I'd prefer a hard cover aftermarket I think. Not in my experience, options on window sticker must come with truck. If you can get the dealer to trade you the value for a hard cover installed by them, give it a shot. In my case, both with tires and tri-fold, I had to take it and then try and sell afterwards.
4. Is it possible to get the surround view camera and park assist without the rest of the safety group package? Not sure. Also, not sure BAP comes with 3.21 gears...I thought it was only 3.92, but mine is 4x4.
5. Are there any issues with USB thumb drives to play music? Can you use Android Auto simultaneously? Not sure, have not tried, I'm a iPhone guy, I just plug mine in.
6. And the big one... what should I expect to pay, before rebates? It depends...

I know there are probably other threads that answer most of these questions, but there are so many it's difficult to read through them all. If you know of exact threads that would be helpful, please link them for me. Thanks and I look forward to being a part of the community!

J

Answered what I could above...good luck!

 

[TVANVA]

QUESTIONS:
1. Is this the correct process for ordering: Give deposit, place order, and when truck is delivered you do trade-in and complete purchase paperwork?
This was the process when I ordered and received my RAM. Just keep in mind that some dealerships are very friendly to ordering and some treat you like....well.....doing you a big favor (or worse).

2. If so, how/when do you negotiate the price, and are rebates based on when it's delivered or ordered?
We negotiated the discounted price of the truck up front, including delivery fee, "paperwork" fee, tags, tax, license, plus any incentives that did not depend on delivery date. Some rebates are based on delivery date and its a bit of a roll of the dice as to how big they are. I got lucky and the rebates increased between order and delivery. The process was very simple, I went on the RAM site and picked out my ideal truck, noting the codes for each option I added, I sent them to the dealer and I got a quote back. I did a couple of versions of this to get to the final build and price. Once happy, I signed an order sheet and put down a deposit. Truck arrived a few months later. Not sure what the factory shut down is going to do to order times.

3. Is it possible to get the BAP w/o tonneau cover? I'd prefer a hard cover aftermarket I think.
Try building it that way on the RAM Trucks site. If it won't let you, some times you can negotiate with the dealer to take if off the truck when it arrives if another customer wants it. An alternative is to get it with the truck and sell it locally or to another of us modders here on this forum, then buy what you want.

4. Is it possible to get the surround view camera and park assist without the rest of the safety group package?
I got park assist without the safety group, but I don't think you can separate the surround view. Might be different for 2020, so do your build on RAM Trucks and see what happens.

5. Are there any issues with USB thumb drives to play music? Can you use Android Auto simultaneously?
Not sure. I use thumb drives but I don't have Android.

6. And the big one... what should I expect to pay, before rebates?
Wow, that will be all over the map. When I ordered mine, I used Koons and they were offering everyone 7% below invoice, and that is exactly what I paid, plus the fees I listed above. They didn't play any games or tricks. All negotiated remotely, then I took a train to DC when my truck arrived at the dealership. Metro ride right to their doorstep and I was on the way home in less than two hours. I'll be doing it exactly this same way for my next truck.

Best of luck with your order process.