Looking for the “Right” Ram

[AirStreamN]

Like most, I despise the buying process. I live in the DC area and have tried most of the dealerships with 50 miles. I have had dealers tell me that they can get a Rebel with an all black interior, that Ram is not taking orders, and after driving 1.5 hrs in a monsoon, one dealer told me they would not give me a price until I guaranteed I would buy from them. They did not want met to shop their offer.

For the “right” truck at the right price I would fly somewhere (reasonably) and drive it home. The Ram website only lets you search within 150 miles and is clunky as heck. Is there another way to search for vehicles with the ability to list specific options?

Here is the ideal build:

Laramie
4x4
5’7” bed
Granite Crystal, Billet Silver or Black Package in that order
Sport Package
33 Gallon
Anti Spin
3.92 Gear
Level 2
Bed Utility Group
Advanced Safety is nice but not mandatory
Ram Box
Prefer brake controller, but could go with tow pkg

Thanks in advance.

 

[Patsy1099]

If you check out the threads here members have put a list together of all the great dealers across the country. I believe that there are one or more near you. I’ll see if I can find a thread.

 

[Patsy1099]

Heres one

Criswell Ram Updated Price Special Info

Thought I'd post this here for easier access than my webpage: To celebrate Spring, The Ram 1500 Ranch at Criswell RAM, located in Gaithersburg MD, is proud to announce their nationwide Special Pricing Program for new in stock and factory ordered RAM 1500's. 13% Off MSRP On RAM 1500...

5thgenrams.com

 

[Razilla76]

I’ve used cars.com. I search 500-750 miles from my location. I put in the filters I want (2019, 5.7L, Laramie, 4x4, crew cab, black interior). At the bottom is asks for keywords. I’ll type sport off road 3.92. Within 750 miles there are 10 trucks that should have what I’m looking for.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JeffK2019]

I used the RAM site and worked around the 150 mile radius issue by coming up with 4 or 5 key city locations/zip codes around the areas i was searching (in my case CA). I kept the list with zip codes handy and would just swap one after the other after plugging in my specific build criteria. Let me keep track of inventory at dealers and also see who were running dealer discount specials (just click on dealer links and pick "open in new tab"). Put in your 8, 10, 12 must haves on the search function then only view the full matches - switching between zip codes.

I did this then once I had narrowed down 5 dealers I felt ran the best prices (including the two highest volume dealers in CA but that were a 3+ hour drive) I contacted each with my spec and asked for best price - from current inventory or if I placed a sold order to spec with them.

I hate the buying process myself and in fact during this process I was less than comfortable with some dealers and their positioning. As an example one dealer offered me $8,000 dealer discount on a Limited plus any incentives at time of purchase - for an order or for anything on their lot. They said $8k was max they were already losing money at that! I ended up ordering elsewhere and when they found out they lost my businesses they upped the discount to $10,200. I said I had ordered elsewhere and they said since I didn't put down a deposit I could just walk away from it, dealer would sell it eventually! Not how I do business.

Another dealer my wife and I drove 1 1/2 hours to view a RAM in Patriot Blue since we had not seen one in person (color I ended up ordering). That dealer had A LOT of trucks and in fact 2 different Limited that met my specs and were colors I could compromise on. 1 hour wandering their lot, looking at truck after truck, I even climbed up in the bed of one or two, nobody ever came out to offer help. Not going to give my business/money to a dealer that does business like that (and it was not because they were busy).

I ended up ordering with one of my local dealers who I felt treated me with respect and granted I am giving up some $ on pricing but in the big picture I don't need to nickle and dime my way for a new truck and get "the best deal"! I know some will find that shocking but on a $70,000 truck not going to lose sleep over $2k one way or the other.

 

[MG99]

Have you thought about using a car broker? I know it sounds crazy, at least it did to me at first. Bc most people don’t want to pay someone to find them a car. But, you already have a list of what you want as well as what you will compromise on. There are brokers that charge a flat fee so you know the cost up front and they do the leg work as well as the negotiations. Sometimes they get better prices than you can negotiate yourself because of business relationships they’ve made with dealers. I personally have not used one but I know two people that have (for leases mind you) and they both said they got a way better deal through the broker ($50-120 saved a month) and the fee for the broker was roughly $500. Pays for itself within the first year. Just another option for you to think about.