Possibly moving back to a Ram truck from Wrangler Rubicon

[stevieb92]

Hey all. I'm relatively new poster here, but have been a member for a few years. A little background about me. I'm a former dairy farmer, John Deere heavy equipment mechanic turned into a mechanical engineer since 2004. I enjoy working on my vehicles, doing mods and general maintenance. My first truck was a 93 Dakota 4x4 (purchased new in 93), v8, short bed, reg cab and it was a pretty fun ride. The Dakota had Doug Thorley headers, custom 3 inch exhaust, Mopar high perf computer and K&N filter intake. It was pretty quick for what it was, and turned mid 15s in the 1/4 mile at Maple Grove. Not that quick by todays standards. lol

The next truck was a 95 Ram 1500, 318 (swapped to a built 360), 4x4, long bed and reg cab. I swapped out the anemic 318 and built a .030 over 360, with all the goodies, Doug Thorley headers, custom flowmaster exhaust and high flow cat, Mopar perf computer, ported throttle body, Mopar R/T heads, KB pistons, Crower roller rockers, M1 intake, injectors, etc. I also swapped gears to 4:10 front and rear. It made the truck more fun to drive. I owned that until 2020. It was still running great, but rust was taking a toll on the frame.

I sold that Ram 1500 and picked up a 2020 Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited with the 2.0t. It's been a super fun experience. I've added wheels and tires, suspension lift (control arms, track bars and springs), some performance mods and it's been super fun. The 2.0t in that Jeep really scoots for a brick shaped vehicle. My girlfriend also has a 2020 wrangler, but hers is a Sahara and is her daily driver. My Jeep is not a daily driver and mostly sits in the comfy garage. We run a YouTube channel called "Life, Liberty and Adventures" so you can check out each of our Jeeps (and our off-roading adventures) on there if you're curious, but I have found some situations when it would be nice to have a truck. Which brings me back to the reason for this post.

I recently heard that FCA is not going to offer the hemi in the RAM trucks past 2024 model year, so I thought if I'm going to make a change from the Wrangler, I might want to get a Ram with the hemi. I love a good, healthy v8 and don't really care about mileage since it isn't going to be a daily driver. The TRX would be awesome, but the price point is out of my range. I'm looking at a Rebel, but I'd like to order one and spec it out exactly how I want it. This brings me to my questions.

1. When would be the last possible time to order a 2024 Rebel with the hemi? Rought idea only, not an exact date. Am I too late already?
2. I noticed there are 10% off MSRP deals right now, but does that apply to custom orders or only vehicles on the lot?
3. What time of year is best for purchasing? Is it now? Is the market in a slump now?
4. Is there anything catastrophic to worry about with the Rebel compared to the other models?

Sorry for the long post, but I appreciate the wealth of knowledge here since I've been lurking around casually over the last few years. Thanks for reading!

 

[HSKR R/T]

Hey all. I'm relatively new poster here, but have been a member for a few years. A little background about me. I'm a former dairy farmer, John Deere heavy equipment mechanic turned into a mechanical engineer since 2004. I enjoy working on my vehicles, doing mods and general maintenance. My first truck was a 93 Dakota 4x4 (purchased new in 93), v8, short bed, reg cab and it was a pretty fun ride. The Dakota had Doug Thorley headers, custom 3 inch exhaust, Mopar high perf computer and K&N filter intake. It was pretty quick for what it was, and turned mid 15s in the 1/4 mile at Maple Grove. Not that quick by todays standards. lol

The next truck was a 95 Ram 1500, 318 (swapped to a built 360), 4x4, long bed and reg cab. I swapped out the anemic 318 and built a .030 over 360, with all the goodies, Doug Thorley headers, custom flowmaster exhaust and high flow cat, Mopar perf computer, ported throttle body, Mopar R/T heads, KB pistons, Crower roller rockers, M1 intake, injectors, etc. I also swapped gears to 4:10 front and rear. It made the truck more fun to drive. I owned that until 2020. It was still running great, but rust was taking a toll on the frame.

I sold that Ram 1500 and picked up a 2020 Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited with the 2.0t. It's been a super fun experience. I've added wheels and tires, suspension lift (control arms, track bars and springs), some performance mods and it's been super fun. The 2.0t in that Jeep really scoots for a brick shaped vehicle. My girlfriend also has a 2020 wrangler, but hers is a Sahara and is her daily driver. My Jeep is not a daily driver and mostly sits in the comfy garage. We run a YouTube channel called "Life, Liberty and Adventures" so you can check out each of our Jeeps (and our off-roading adventures) on there if you're curious, but I have found some situations when it would be nice to have a truck. Which brings me back to the reason for this post.

I recently heard that FCA is not going to offer the hemi in the RAM trucks past 2024 model year, so I thought if I'm going to make a change from the Wrangler, I might want to get a Ram with the hemi. I love a good, healthy v8 and don't really care about mileage since it isn't going to be a daily driver. The TRX would be awesome, but the price point is out of my range. I'm looking at a Rebel, but I'd like to order one and spec it out exactly how I want it. This brings me to my questions.

1. When would be the last possible time to order a 2024 Rebel with the hemi? Rought idea only, not an exact date. Am I too late already?
2. I noticed there are 10% off MSRP deals right now, but does that apply to custom orders or only vehicles on the lot?
3. What time of year is best for purchasing? Is it now? Is the market in a slump now?
4. Is there anything catastrophic to worry about with the Rebel compared to the other models?

Sorry for the long post, but I appreciate the wealth of knowledge here since I've been lurking around casually over the last few years. Thanks for reading!

From what salesmen have posted here's order banks for 2024 are closing this month. So if you are even on the fence about it's get your order in now.

 

[stevieb92]

From what salesmen have posted here's order banks for 2024 are closing this month. So if you are even on the fence about it's get your order in now.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to get right on it. Thanks!

 

[mplaramie]

Call @AnthonyRI at Mark Dodge. He will hook you up.

 

[AnthonyRI]

1. When would be the last possible time to order a 2024 Rebel with the hemi? Rought idea only, not an exact date. Am I too late already?
2. I noticed there are 10% off MSRP deals right now, but does that apply to custom orders or only vehicles on the lot?
3. What time of year is best for purchasing? Is it now? Is the market in a slump now?

Orders for the 2024 model year are closing most likely end of this month. They have already started to trim down what is available to order, so we don't have an exact date, it will just continually erode as they fill in allocations and orders compared to their programmed production. If you can figure out exactly how you want the truck built, now would be the time. Then, your price is locked in (and your build specs) and if the rebates are better at time of delivery, you get those (though they're not so bad currently)

The 10% you're referring to is on groundstock of 2023 models. For Rebels, I doubt there is much out there. 2024s have $4500-$6500 in rebates depending on your region, trim, and loyalty (owning another CDJR, which you do)

With the shakey ground that the entire industry has been on since COVID, going from stopped production, to chip shortage, to catching up production, rising interest rates, strike, etc - the concept of a SEASONALLY good time to buy is a bit out the window. Rebates AND msrp will both continue to rise (consider two steps forward and one step back lol) as long as the interest rates are stable or slightly rising. If interest rates crashed, I would expect that the rebates would decrease too - but if that happened it would probably mean a bunch of other things are all wonky too - so I won't bet on that.

KEY TAKEAWAY - Yes if you want a Rebel with a HEMI, you'll want to order now unless you can very quickly find a 2023 on a lot that is a perfect match for you.

 

[stevieb92]

Orders for the 2024 model year are closing most likely end of this month. They have already started to trim down what is available to order, so we don't have an exact date, it will just continually erode as they fill in allocations and orders compared to their programmed production. If you can figure out exactly how you want the truck built, now would be the time. Then, your price is locked in (and your build specs) and if the rebates are better at time of delivery, you get those (though they're not so bad currently)

The 10% you're referring to is on groundstock of 2023 models. For Rebels, I doubt there is much out there. 2024s have $4500-$6500 in rebates depending on your region, trim, and loyalty (owning another CDJR, which you do)

With the shakey ground that the entire industry has been on since COVID, going from stopped production, to chip shortage, to catching up production, rising interest rates, strike, etc - the concept of a SEASONALLY good time to buy is a bit out the window. Rebates AND msrp will both continue to rise (consider two steps forward and one step back lol) as long as the interest rates are stable or slightly rising. If interest rates crashed, I would expect that the rebates would decrease too - but if that happened it would probably mean a bunch of other things are all wonky too - so I won't bet on that.

KEY TAKEAWAY - Yes if you want a Rebel with a HEMI, you'll want to order now unless you can very quickly find a 2023 on a lot that is a perfect match for you.

Thanks for all the great info! It is greatly appreciated. I will reach out to you later on today to discuss further. Thanks!