Power Wagon pricing - WTF?

[jimothy]

I'm not actually in the market for a Power Wagon, but out of curiosity, I wanted to see if they were being discounted.

So I looked first on a local dealer website. They were marked up by about $1,000-1,500. Wow, that was unexpected. So I looked at another dealer, still in the Atlanta metro but a bit further away. $11,000 mark ups! Obviously, anything is negotiable, but I was shocked to see not just markups, but about a $10,000 difference between two dealers within 50 miles of each other.

Of course, I next checked our friends at Mark Dodge, and I saw their in-stock 2023s Power Wagons are setting for about $8,000 below sticker. I'm less surprised that MD has them at a significant discount than I am that two cross-town dealers would be so far about price wise.

So some schmuck who doesn't know any better could be paying $10,000 more than another (price gouging) dealer across down, and $19,000 more than they have to.

 

[jimothy]

Now, I've found a 2023 Power Wagon Level 1 about an hour west of Atlanta for $8,500 off MSRP! Nearly $20K less than that dealer northeast of Atlanta. Nuts!

Interestingly, this dealer (who I'll name, since they appear to be offering good deals: James O'Neal CDJR in Bremen, GA) has only 5 1500s on their site, 38 2500s, and 12 3500s. Including a 2023 Limited 1500 for $11K off.

 

[HSKR R/T]

I'm not actually in the market for a Power Wagon, but out of curiosity, I wanted to see if they were being discounted.

So I looked first on a local dealer website. They were marked up by about $1,000-1,500. Wow, that was unexpected. So I looked at another dealer, still in the Atlanta metro but a bit further away. $11,000 mark ups! Obviously, anything is negotiable, but I was shocked to see not just markups, but about a $10,000 difference between two dealers within 50 miles of each other.

Of course, I next checked our friends at Mark Dodge, and I saw their in-stock 2023s Power Wagons are setting for about $8,000 below sticker. I'm less surprised that MD has them at a significant discount than I am that two cross-town dealers would be so far about price wise.

So some schmuck who doesn't know any better could be paying $10,000 more than another (price gouging) dealer across down, and $19,000 more than they have to.

If people either have too much money to carez or not enough common sense to checkother dealers, then they deserve to get screwed in pricing.

 

[Darksteel165]

If people either have too much money to carez or not enough common sense to checkother dealers, then they deserve to get screwed in pricing.

^^^^^^^^^ This.
My local dealerships were going to throw+$5k on TOP of MSRP for a custom order Limited.
Mark Dodge was 14k BELOW MSRP for my custom order.

Dealerships are all privately owned and MSRP is manufacture suggested retail which means nothing for cars\trucks anymore for the better or worse.

 

[FLiPMaRC]

My only regret was I didn't know about Mark Dodge when I got my Laramie back in 2021.

 

[silver billet]

If people either have too much money to carez or not enough common sense to checkother dealers, then they deserve to get screwed in pricing.

No. People do not ever "deserve to get screwed". That mentality is abhorrent. People deserve to be treated with respect and courtesy and common decency unless they themselves demonstrate otherwise.

The problem is not with innocent buyers not doing their homework. The problem is predatory sellers who operate on a basis of greed.

Of course buyers should do their homework. Society would be far better off though if the reason for this requirement didn't exist in the first place.

 

[HSKR R/T]

No. People do not ever "deserve to get screwed". That mentality is abhorrent. People deserve to be treated with respect and courtesy and common decency unless they themselves demonstrate otherwise.

The problem is not with innocent buyers not doing their homework. The problem is predatory sellers who operate on a basis of greed.

Of course buyers should do their homework. Society would be far better off though if the reason for this requirement didn't exist in the first place.

Maybe "deserve to" was a bit harsh, but I have no sympathy for people who don't do basic homework when making such a large purchase.

 

[Darksteel165]

Maybe "deserve to" was a bit harsh, but I have no sympathy for people who don't do basic homework when making such a large purchase.

I dont think researching to buy a new truck from another state or further would be expected of the average consumer.
Many people know things at dealerships Re more expensive then elsewhere but it's not possible to buy a new Ram from anyone except a dealership. People should except to pay Msrp or lower and if they paid more that's on them. I wouldn't consider it basic homework.

I know most of the dealerships in my state are corrupt, they are all large chains that 1 owner covers half of the brands and another chain for the other half. If I didn't know that from experience then I would of never looked at our of state and I did much more than basic homework.

Some companies don't allow their product to be sold for a low price, car manufacturer should step in and out a cap on the high end or something.
If you go to 3 different car dealerships and the all are 3-10k over msrp and say the same BS story about inventory why would anyone not believe it?

That said items are worth what people will pay. If you paid Msrp +10k you can't complain about the price after the fact. You spent that money on your own and no one forced you to spend it. If a dealership charges too much talk with your money and walk (and that goes for any product and company).

 

[Richard320]

Some dealers want to make all their money on one sale.

20-odd years ago I went to the local Jeep dealer just to see what Wranglers were going for. They had sliced the price column off the Mulroney label and had a supllemental pricing label stuck on I started walking and some salesman caught up. I told him why I was leaving and he replied, "Everything's negotiable." I said, "Yeah, but you're starting $5,000 high."

Drove 30 miles to another dealer. 3X the inventory and no funny business with the pricing.

 

[wegasque]

I bought my Charger (*used with 5,600 miles) at a local dealership back in 2016. In 2021, the same dealership had ads about the TRX and I went to look at them. They had them marked up $15k above MSRP. When I asked about it, they said it was due to "market demand". If a dealer can't be honest about their pricing and not jack up the prices above MSRP, then how honest do you think they are with their service departments?

 

[Darksteel165]

I bought my Charger (*used with 5,600 miles) at a local dealership back in 2016. In 2021, the same dealership had ads about the TRX and I went to look at them. They had them marked up $15k above MSRP. When I asked about it, they said it was due to "market demand". If a dealer can't be honest about their pricing and not jack up the prices above MSRP, then how honest do you think they are with their service departments?

Service and sales departments are run by different people. I find they are Vasty different at all dealerships. Parts is sometimes different also.

 

[boogielander]

I mean it's 2023, everyone should know to do their homework before buying a vehicle.
And I do agree when people don't do their homework and get charged extra for the same thing totally deserve it. It's a free market. Dealers are entitled to charge whatever amount they see fit and customers are entitled to pay whatever price they feel right.
My local dealer laughed at me when I said I could order my truck and get it for over $10k under MSRP OTD, and told me MSRP would be the best deal I could get. I asked them if they were sure about it because I do have over 20 people that I can refer over if my transaction is smooth. They said no, MSRP was the best they could offer.
So I sent everyone I know looking for a CDJR product to Mark Dodge, and everyone of them is extremely satisfied with MD. That's over 20 vehicles that my local dealer did not get. Well, they want to charge me what they see fit, and there's nothing wrong with that. I just chose to take my business somewhere else and MD has over 20 vehicles sold from the people I referred. Free market.

Just like hand sanitizers and masks back in 2020; those who invest in making those connections and knowing the right people get great deals or deserve to charge whatever they see fit. Those who don't... it's either they pony up and shell out the cash or shut up and stop whining about it. Nothing wrong with that: it's a free market.

 

[boogielander]

But to be on topic: I am seriously considering a PW but it's gonna be another big budget build for me. Maybe I will wait till the last year of 6.4 and trade in.

I already know suspension mod alone will cost me over $10K in parts... not so healthy for my wallet

 

[jimothy]

But to be on topic: I am seriously considering a PW but it's gonna be another big budget build for me. Maybe I will wait till the last year of 6.4 and trade in.

I already know suspension mod alone will cost me over $10K in parts... not so healthy for my wallet

You owe it to us all to make this PW build happen!

 

[Darksteel165]

I mean it's 2023, everyone should know to do their homework before buying a vehicle.
And I do agree when people don't do their homework and get charged extra for the same thing totally deserve it. It's a free market. Dealers are entitled to charge whatever amount they see fit and customers are entitled to pay whatever price they feel right.
My local dealer laughed at me when I said I could order my truck and get it for over $10k under MSRP OTD, and told me MSRP would be the best deal I could get. I asked them if they were sure about it because I do have over 20 people that I can refer over if my transaction is smooth. They said no, MSRP was the best they could offer.
So I sent everyone I know looking for a CDJR product to Mark Dodge, and everyone of them is extremely satisfied with MD. That's over 20 vehicles that my local dealer did not get. Well, they want to charge me what they see fit, and there's nothing wrong with that. I just chose to take my business somewhere else and MD has over 20 vehicles sold from the people I referred. Free market.

Just like hand sanitizers and masks back in 2020; those who invest in making those connections and knowing the right people get great deals or deserve to charge whatever they see fit. Those who don't... it's either they pony up and shell out the cash or shut up and stop whining about it. Nothing wrong with that: it's a free market.

Would be a free market if I could avoid the middleman and buy a vehicle direct. A sales dealership serves no purpose but manufacturer are forced by the government and or large dealership corporations to use them.

It's just market manipulation at its core imo. Needing to fly across the entire country to pay normal price for something is dumb, but most states only have a couple big chain dealerships and charge whatever they want and besides leaving your state there is nothing you can do. They destroy smaller new fair dealerships because they sell more and pay less so that new dealers can't give good pricing and go out of business. I havnt seen a new dealership owner in my state for the 30 years I've been alive except for Carmax which doesn't sell new (and drastically reduced the price of All used cars in the state even at dealerships)

I don't need to order anything else from out of state to get a good deal, and if I do I can get it right from the manufacturer cheaper then retail normally because I bypass the middleman.