Price negotiated from MSRP

[Willwork4truck]

I bought from a well known discount dealer (well known if you pay attention to threads like this) back in late December of 2023. Got 16% off sticker (on a new Limited 4x for $59.5). My local dealer didn't. have a Ltd, just 1 Laramie and it was priced at $5K more than what I paid for the Ltd…
Dealers definitely have a lot of leeway…

 

[rolydiaz.]

In October I picked up a 24 limited loaded with sunroof / air suspension / HK / ect. . MSRP $81,580. brought the truck down to $54k which was about $21k below invoice....


I had some dealers giving me OTD $79K for a 23 base Laramie and $65k OTD for a 223 bighorn LOOOOOOOOOLLLLL

 

[Rambo 2024]

I find it curious when people say “after xxx discount you’ll still make money” ?! Being in sales all my life I would like to say that “profit” is not a bad word. It makes the world go round, people feed their families, etc.

Trust me when I say I am no fan of some car dealers and the process of buying a car, but anyone here, or in the country for matter must realize this. It wasn’t that long ago that we had no internet. All businesses held the cards and information. Today there is so much information out there that when I hear someone say they got ripped off on a car deal or other purchases, the blame is squarely on you-the buyer. The exception is for the elderly and tech challenged people. But even then, friends and family can jump in to help.

If dealer (a) has $18k off MSRP and dealer (b) has $10k off, where are you going to purchase? And to be clear, unless you truly know the inner workings of a dealer and or manufacturer, don’t simply assume they are all equal and can, or want to offer the same discount.

In my case I had to drive 40 some miles from my local dealer because they had an additional $9500 off the truck I wanted in form of coupons they received from Stellantis. How they got those was Stellantis needed dealers to take an over abundance of inventory of the Ram 2500’s and In exchange they got those coupons , rebates, etc that they could pass on to the end user. Many dealers were pissed about that and felt they were being strong-armed so many dealers didn’t participate in that program and simply could not offer deeper discounts.

For me, I didn’t care where the discount came from and was willing to drive for the very best deal, which I did .

In closing, shop three or four dealers online with their internet department and do business with whomever gives you the best deal on the truck you want with the least amount of hassle.

Happy shopping!

 

[PetePA]

I find it curious when people say “after xxx discount you’ll still make money” ?! Being in sales all my life I would like to say that “profit” is not a bad word. It makes the world go round, people feed their families, etc.

Trust me when I say I am no fan of some car dealers and the process of buying a car, but anyone here, or in the country for matter must realize this. It wasn’t that long ago that we had no internet. All businesses held the cards and information. Today there is so much information out there that when I hear someone got ripped off of a car deal or other purchase the blame was squarely on you-the buyer. The exception is for the elderly and tech challenged people. But even then, friends and family can jump in to help.

If dealer (a) has $18k off MSRP and dealer (b) has $10k off, where are you going to purchase? And to be clear, unless you truly know the inner workings of a dealer and or manufacturer don’t simply assume they are all equal and can, or want to offer the same discount.

In my case I had to drive an additional 40 some miles from my local dealer because they had an additional $9500 off the truck I wanted in form of coupons they received from Stellantis. How they got those was, Stellantis needed dealers to take an over abundance of inventory of the Ram 2500’s and I exchange they got those coupons , rebates, etc that they could pass on to the end user. Many dealers were pissed about that and felt they were being strong-armed.

For me, I didn’t care where the discount came from and was willing to drive for the very best deal which I did .

In closing, shop there or four dealers online with their internet department and so business with whomever gives you the best deal on the truck you want with the least amount of hassle.

Happy shopping!

Tldr shop around for the best deal because some dealers suck.

 

[Willwork4truck]

My local dealer has this available, 1 of 3 actually:

New 2023​

Dodge Challenger Scat Pack
Stock: CDJRPH593635
Details: MSRP $67,300
Dealer Discount $2,491
Sale Price $64,809

So is the "rarity" of the scat pack worth a 2 year old lot rot car and only $2500 in discounts?

They also have almost no 2024 1500's other than Classics. Not much to choose from here, so a buyer would likely have to travel, rebates or not.

 

[Mx113]

I find it curious when people say “after xxx discount you’ll still make money” ?! Being in sales all my life I would like to say that “profit” is not a bad word. It makes the world go round, people feed their families, etc.

Trust me when I say I am no fan of some car dealers and the process of buying a car, but anyone here, or in the country for matter must realize this. It wasn’t that long ago that we had no internet. All businesses held the cards and information. Today there is so much information out there that when I hear someone say they got ripped off on a car deal or other purchases, the blame is squarely on you-the buyer. The exception is for the elderly and tech challenged people. But even then, friends and family can jump in to help.

If dealer (a) has $18k off MSRP and dealer (b) has $10k off, where are you going to purchase? And to be clear, unless you truly know the inner workings of a dealer and or manufacturer, don’t simply assume they are all equal and can, or want to offer the same discount.

In my case I had to drive 40 some miles from my local dealer because they had an additional $9500 off the truck I wanted in form of coupons they received from Stellantis. How they got those was Stellantis needed dealers to take an over abundance of inventory of the Ram 2500’s and In exchange they got those coupons , rebates, etc that they could pass on to the end user. Many dealers were pissed about that and felt they were being strong-armed so many dealers didn’t participate in that program and simply could not offer deeper discounts.

For me, I didn’t care where the discount came from and was willing to drive for the very best deal, which I did .

In closing, shop three or four dealers online with their internet department and do business with whomever gives you the best deal on the truck you want with the least amount of hassle.

Happy shopping!

Glad you find it curious. It’s a free market. Nothing is simpler than the economics of retail. Being self employed in the retail sector for 40 years has given me a descent understating of volume vs profit.

 

[Rambo 2024]

Glad you find it curious. It’s a free market. Nothing is simpler than the economics of retail. Being self employed in the retail sector for 40 years has given me a descent understating of volume vs profit.

So you’ve been working in the retail sector since you were 9 years old? your profile says you’re 49. Now that’s some work ethic!

 

[BB_Mike]

Would you care to venture a guess at what one should hold out for, dollar wise, for the following truck:
2025 RAM 1500
Rebel
Blue exterior
Level 2 package
Air suspension

For the right price, I may accept other options, but that right there is my minimum "spec". I have found one with air suspension and the level 1 package. Seems that when I find another truck with the level 2 package, all of the sudden the dealerships throw everything but the kitchen sink at it. Ironically making it more expensive than a Rebel X. Oh, location is South East.

 

[mike146]

Would you care to venture a guess at what one should hold out for, dollar wise, for the following truck:
2025 RAM 1500
Rebel
Blue exterior
Level 2 package
Air suspension

For the right price, I may accept other options, but that right there is my minimum "spec". I have found one with air suspension and the level 1 package. Seems that when I find another truck with the level 2 package, all of the sudden the dealerships throw everything but the kitchen sink at it. Ironically making it more expensive than a Rebel X. Oh, location is South East.

No idea on price, but ...why not order and have built exactly as you want it as opposed to buying off the lot?
Take a bit longer to get, but you have truck exactly as you want it.

 

[Rambo 2024]

No idea on price, but ...why not order and have built exactly as you want it as opposed to buying off the lot?
Take a bit longer to get, but you have truck exactly as you want it.

Correct. If you order you get exactly what you want. BUT,,,, if you want the “best deal”you MUST buy from dealer inventory. There are nuances at the dealer level which are too many to mention here, however once a vehicle sits on the lot many incentives you see are for aged inventory and can be Vin# specific.

In general dealers are under pressure to move what’s sitting on the lot and don’t give two craps about an order they won’t sell for three months or so. And that’s not even a guarantee. People often order a car or truck then bail at the last moment for various reasons. The car business is a “today” business.

If you order, you almost always have zero control over discounts other than generic discounts of the week / month you’re buying in.

The truck I bought back in June had 3.92 gears which I would have never ordered and or wanted but the deal was so good I just took it. I do tow about 10 times per year and in reality the 3.21 gear would have been just fine for me.

In my humble opinion find the truck you want or as close to the features you want and secure your deal before month end. All dealers are trying to make their year in the last couple weeks of Dec.

Happy shopping.

 

[PetePA]

Correct. If you order you get exactly what you want. BUT,,,, if you want the “best deal”you MUST buy from dealer inventory. There are nuances at the dealer level which are too many to mention here, however once a vehicle sits on the lot many incentives you see are for aged inventory and can be Vin# specific.

In general dealers are under pressure to move what’s sitting on the lot and don’t give two craps about an order they won’t sell for three months or so. And that’s not even a guarantee. People often order a car or truck then bail at the last moment for various reasons. The car business is a “today” business.

If you order, you almost always have zero control over discounts other than generic discounts of the week / month you’re buying in.

The truck I bought back in June had 3.92 gears which I would have never ordered and or wanted but the deal was so good I just took it. I do tow about 10 times per year and in reality the 3.21 gear would have been just fine for me.

In my humble opinion find the truck you want or as close to the features you want and secure your deal before month end. All dealers are trying to make their year in the last couple weeks of Dec.

Happy shopping.

I disagree. I got a better deal with my Tungsten that I ordered than anyone anywhere else was willing to even come close to for a Tungsten on their lot... and I called around to everything within 250 miles.

 

[AnthonyRI]

Correct. If you order you get exactly what you want. BUT,,,, if you want the “best deal”you MUST buy from dealer inventory. There are nuances at the dealer level which are too many to mention here, however once a vehicle sits on the lot many incentives you see are for aged inventory and can be Vin# specific.

We are the largest RAM dealership in the country and our special orders are 90% of the time discounted better than what is on the lot if you're looking at same model year and trim. If you are looking to get last years' model in order to capitalize on aging inventory dealer-cash rebates, you can sometimes find something to beat that.

If you order, you almost always have zero control over discounts other than generic discounts of the week / month you’re buying in.

That is literally the exact situation you're working on with an instock vehicle - you're subject to what the rebates and discounts are that moment, but with a finite inventory. On an order you have access to the rebates from time of order OR those from time of delivery, with essentially infinite inventory.

 

[Ram1500OwnerMaybe]

We are the largest RAM dealership in the country and our special orders are 90% of the time discounted better than what is on the lot if you're looking at same model year and trim. If you are looking to get last years' model in order to capitalize on aging inventory dealer-cash rebates, you can sometimes find something to beat that.

Are you able to explain why that is because that seems to go against how many believe the dealerships work.
I for one always thought a truck on the lot was always capable of a larger discount than one that is ordered.

Some people talk about 20% or more off of MSPR for vehicles on the lot.
Are you saying ordered trucks are 20% or more cheaper?

 

[AnthonyRI]

Are you able to explain why that is because that seems to go against how many believe the dealerships work.
I for one always thought a truck on the lot was always capable of a larger discount than one that is ordered.

Some people talk about 20% or more off of MSPR for vehicles on the lot.
Are you saying ordered trucks are 20% or more cheaper?

There are a number of factors to why we choose to discount our sold-orders differently.
Simple version is that our sold-order process is more efficient, and therefore we can pass that cost off to the customer.
That's not a theory, that's what we do.

Take this vehicle here: 2025 RAM 1500 Laramie Lake Charles LA | Beauregard Parish Calcasieu Parish Sulphur Louisiana 1C6RREJPXSN634435
MSRP $67265
Dealer Discount -$7000
Current Rebates -$7000 (central region, your zip code may vary, but we can quote that)
Doc Fee $425
Temp Tags $4
Total before your state's TTL $53694 (20.17% off)

I can order you the exact same vehicle as a special order as follows:
MSRP $67265
Dealer Discount -$8408 (12.5% standardized)
Current Rebates -$7000 (central region, your zip code may vary, but we can quote that)
Doc Fee $425
Temp Tags $4
Total before your state's TTL $52,286 (22.27% off)

Then of course if you have Ford conquest, first responder, TDM, or affiliate - all of things can improve your deal for either.
Our affiliate discount for an order like this would be $589, while on the instock is $500.
Price is locked, including rebates, unless the rebates get better and you can get the better of the two groups.

 

[dgt1031]

Is the sales tax due to the state based on the 52,286 or the price before rebate? Learning a lot. Thanks

 

[Jako]

Is the sales tax due to the state based on the 52,286 or the price before rebate? Learning a lot. Thanks

NY you pay tax on a rebate.

 

[AnthonyRI]

NY you pay tax on a rebate.

Almost every state the sales tax is based on the MSRP minus dealer discount plus taxable fees.
There may be one somewhere that does it after rebates, but if there is, I can't remember.

 

[Rambo 2024]

There are a number of factors to why we choose to discount our sold-orders differently.
Simple version is that our sold-order process is more efficient, and therefore we can pass that cost off to the customer.
That's not a theory, that's what we do.

Take this vehicle here: 2025 RAM 1500 Laramie Lake Charles LA | Beauregard Parish Calcasieu Parish Sulphur Louisiana 1C6RREJPXSN634435
MSRP $67265
Dealer Discount -$7000
Current Rebates -$7000 (central region, your zip code may vary, but we can quote that)
Doc Fee $425
Temp Tags $4
Total before your state's TTL $53694 (20.17% off)

I can order you the exact same vehicle as a special order as follows:
MSRP $67265
Dealer Discount -$8408 (12.5% standardized)
Current Rebates -$7000 (central region, your zip code may vary, but we can quote that)
Doc Fee $425
Temp Tags $4
Total before your state's TTL $52,286 (22.27% off)

Then of course if you have Ford conquest, first responder, TDM, or affiliate - all of things can improve your deal for either.
Our affiliate discount for an order like this would be $589, while on the instock is $500.
Price is locked, including rebates, unless the rebates get better and you can get the better of the two groups.

Glad you’re the biggest dealer around and claim orders are a deep discount. If that’s the case, you are the first dealer I’ve ever heard of that does this and I have bought more new cars and trucks than the average Joe.

So explained in detail to all the good people on this board exactly what the $7000 rebates are and who can qualify for them. You, I’m sure like all dealers advertise $$$ rebates but those rebates are ALWAYS conditional and not blanket discounts to anyone that walks in your door. You know this.

Further, since your audience here are people from all over the country I seriously doubt the $7k is available to any and all buyers.

What’s the fine print ? IE: residency, state and or county, conquest, etc etc etc.

Give us a breakdown of the $7000.

 

[Rambo 2024]

There are a number of factors to why we choose to discount our sold-orders differently.
Simple version is that our sold-order process is more efficient, and therefore we can pass that cost off to the customer.
That's not a theory, that's what we do.

Take this vehicle here: 2025 RAM 1500 Laramie Lake Charles LA | Beauregard Parish Calcasieu Parish Sulphur Louisiana 1C6RREJPXSN634435
MSRP $67265
Dealer Discount -$7000
Current Rebates -$7000 (central region, your zip code may vary, but we can quote that)
Doc Fee $425
Temp Tags $4
Total before your state's TTL $53694 (20.17% off)

I can order you the exact same vehicle as a special order as follows:
MSRP $67265
Dealer Discount -$8408 (12.5% standardized)
Current Rebates -$7000 (central region, your zip code may vary, but we can quote that)
Doc Fee $425
Temp Tags $4
Total before your state's TTL $52,286 (22.27% off)

Then of course if you have Ford conquest, first responder, TDM, or affiliate - all of things can improve your deal for either.
Our affiliate discount for an order like this would be $589, while on the instock is $500.
Price is locked, including rebates, unless the rebates get better and you can get the better of the two groups.

And to further expand, there are dealers in Idaho that like you claim to be the “biggest RAM” dealers in the US. I almost bought a truck there a couple of years back because it was a short flight from Northern Ca. UNTIL I found their “Doc fees” were close to $1000 (in Ca there are set at $85 per law), they also had “out of state fees, had to buy their ad-on garbage, blah, blah, blah.

Then I wouldn’t be able to register my truck in Ca for I think it was 6 months because our state got wind that people were once upon a time buying in Oregon because they had no sales tax. All that ended. Then they were going to Idaho.

Look forward to seeing your $7000 rebate breakdown.

 

[Willwork4truck]

I’m sure that Anthony will answer you however I’ll mention that my on the lot 23’ was discounted whatever it was with no games of “FFA member, 1 legged, recent college graduate with 850 credit…” or other such. If I wanted that, I would have shopped up at K—-z in Md.

You are right that most dealers stack discounts that are almost impossible to get in order to fake a low price. Mark RAM doesnt do that.