Problem, I found a truck I want out of state

[RedFred]

I found a truck I want out of state. It's about a 7hr drive. But no worries, I decided I would buy it sight unseen and do the deal over the phone and have it shipped up. I called the dealership ready to buy. They told me they don't ship cars or trucks, which I understand, I would arrange shipping company to come by and pick it up. But then they told me that I would have to come down and purchase the truck in person, that it is company policy. Is this a normal practice? With the internet and everything else, I just assumed I could purchase it over the phone and some emails and have the car shipped to me. Making the round trip won't be an option for me any time soon, so now I'm probably not getting the truck. Anyone have experience with this? Or was I wrong to assume I could do a purchase in this manner?

 

[Eighty]

I found a truck I want out of state. It's about a 7hr drive. But no worries, I decided I would buy it sight unseen and do the deal over the phone and have it shipped up. I called the dealership ready to buy. They told me they don't ship cars or trucks, which I understand, I would arrange shipping company to come by and pick it up. But then they told me that I would have to come down and purchase the truck in person, that it is company policy. Is this a normal practice? With the internet and everything else, I just assumed I could purchase it over the phone and some emails and have the car shipped to me. Making the round trip won't be an option for me any time soon, so now I'm probably not getting the truck. Anyone have experience with this? Or was I wrong to assume I could do a purchase in this manner?

I've seen at least one dealer (on the TRX forum) that recently revised their policy like this. Apparently, there were too many people shipping trucks across the country, then blaming the dealer for damage that was done in-transit. I can understand why a dealer would want their customer to personally inspect and accept the vehicle in person. Then it would be someone else's problem when damage was done in shipping.
If you truly wanted to take the truck sight-unseen, maybe they would accept a written waiver from you for any damage? Provided you were shown a live-feed walk-around of the truck when you sign the paperwork?

 

[RedFred]

I've seen at least one dealer (on the TRX forum) that recently revised their policy like this. Apparently, there were too many people shipping trucks across the country, then blaming the dealer for damage that was done in-transit. I can understand why a dealer would want their customer to personally inspect and accept the vehicle in person. Then it would be someone else's problem when damage was done in shipping.
If you truly wanted to take the truck sight-unseen, maybe they would accept a written waiver from you for any damage? Provided you were shown a live-feed walk-around of the truck when you sign the paperwork?

I assumed we could do a video walk around before completing the deal. At this point, the salesperson has my name and number. Unless I hear back from them, I don't think I will reach out again unless I plan to drive down there. I am kind of surprised that buying in this manner is not an option everywhere.

 

[Rambus]

I found a truck I want out of state. It's about a 7hr drive. But no worries, I decided I would buy it sight unseen and do the deal over the phone and have it shipped up. I called the dealership ready to buy. They told me they don't ship cars or trucks, which I understand, I would arrange shipping company to come by and pick it up. But then they told me that I would have to come down and purchase the truck in person, that it is company policy. Is this a normal practice? With the internet and everything else, I just assumed I could purchase it over the phone and some emails and have the car shipped to me. Making the round trip won't be an option for me any time soon, so now I'm probably not getting the truck. Anyone have experience with this? Or was I wrong to assume I could do a purchase in this manner?

I found my 21 Limited out of state and they said they no longer did delivery and I had to purchase in person due to some bad experiences they had and lost a ton of money. I ended up driving 8 hours to go get it that night from the Seattle area to Ontario, Or. this was this past April.

 

[cevans6318]

I found a truck I want out of state. It's about a 7hr drive. But no worries, I decided I would buy it sight unseen and do the deal over the phone and have it shipped up. I called the dealership ready to buy. They told me they don't ship cars or trucks, which I understand, I would arrange shipping company to come by and pick it up. But then they told me that I would have to come down and purchase the truck in person, that it is company policy. Is this a normal practice? With the internet and everything else, I just assumed I could purchase it over the phone and some emails and have the car shipped to me. Making the round trip won't be an option for me any time soon, so now I'm probably not getting the truck. Anyone have experience with this? Or was I wrong to assume I could do a purchase in this manner?

Find another dealer. Plenty of dealers do deals over the phone/internet. A lot of us purchased from Mark dodge in Louisiana and most never stepped foot in the dealer. I did all of my paperwork via email and then flew to pick it up. Most others had their trucks shipped or arranged shipping.

 

[SkittleRam]

I remember talking with a few dealers that would not do the deal over the phone and wanted me to come in person. It's all dependent on the dealer.

I finally found a dealer that would work with me and they shipped the truck and overnighted the paperwork for me to sign it.

I took a lot of my time calling dealerships to find one that would work with me and this was in July of 2020. I am sure it is even harder now to find a specific truck.

 

[RedFred]

Find another dealer. Plenty of dealers do deals over the phone/internet. A lot of us purchased from Mark dodge in Louisiana and most never stepped foot in the dealer. I did all of my paperwork via email and then flew to pick it up. Most others had their trucks shipped or arranged shipping.

The problem is I am trying to find the truck I want first. If the dealership doesn't have a truck I want, then there is no point. And yes, I can build and order a truck, but I am still holding out on trying to find a truck on the lot somewhere to take advantage of current pricing and incentives and avoid the guessing game of when my 2023 order would actually get delivered. I don't mind the shopping process, but in the end, I may end up with no option but to build and order.

 

[Belvedere]

If it's more about the truck than the deal, find a local dealer that can/will do a dealer trade for you.

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

If it's more about the truck than the deal, find a local dealer that can/will do a dealer trade for you.

I did this for the Frontier I had. I found a truck, got the quote I was looking for over the internet. I then went to my local dealer and gave him the location and price I worked out. They charged a couple hundred for the hassle. Worth it when you add up gas for your buddy's truck down and back, lunch and then drinks afterwards. Probably got off cheaper. Not to mention the time.

 

[RedFred]

If it's more about the truck than the deal, find a local dealer that can/will do a dealer trade for you.

Problem is I can't find the truck I want near me. That's why I was willing to buy one 7 hours away and have it shipped to me. If I find one closer, I'm more than happy to drive to that dealer and try and make a deal.

 

[Dewey]

Order one exactly how you want it from a dealer like Mark Dodge, have it delivered and still save a bunch of money. Well worth the wait. Sooner you order the sooner it’ll be in your garage. Finding a 2022 exactly like you want will be extremly difficult this late in the model year considering most dealers already have super low inventory.

 

[Belvedere]

Problem is I can't find the truck I want near me. That's why I was willing to buy one 7 hours away and have it shipped to me. If I find one closer, I'm more than happy to drive to that dealer and try and make a deal.

A dealer trade means you find a local dealer that will work with you (most should), show them the truck you want and where it is. They'll contact the dealer 7 hours away and offer a vehicle off their lot in trade. They'll arrange transport for the two, charge you a little for delivery and then sell you the truck you wanted when it arrives.

Or as Dewey said, you can order one. I bought mine off the lot, because it had literally just rolled off the transport and was better optioned than what I was going to order. I didn't want to wait.

 

[RedFred]

A dealer trade means you find a local dealer that will work with you (most should), show them the truck you want and where it is. They'll contact the dealer 7 hours away and offer a vehicle off their lot in trade. They'll arrange transport for the two, charge you a little for delivery and then sell you the truck you wanted when it arrives.

I know what a dealer trade is, I have had dealers do that for me in the past. The point I was trying to make is that no dealer near me is doing a trade for a truck 7 hours away. And dealers near me are at MSRP or above for trucks on their lots. The truck that was 7 hours away, the dealer is willing to sell it for a decent price and significantly under MSRP. Even if my local dealer was willing to go get the truck, they would make me pay for it and they are already at or above MSRP. But I already know they are only willing to do a local trade. But just for arguments sake, with no discount, even a local trade makes no sense because I could just drive to the other dealership and pay what ever they want for the truck.

 

[PurpleRT]

Welp looks like you have a few options left. Road-trip it and get the truck if the price is right and that’s the truck you want. It’s suck that you can’t do the transaction without being in person but it is what it is. Order one from someone like Mark Dodge. If it’s what you really want and the price is right you’ll figure out where you can get the time and grab it on a weekend and it not be the end of the world.


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[Runagun]

There's are multiple dealers on here that do what your looking for. Sadly your barking up the wrong tree and not finding those dealers out. So I suggest do your research on here. You will save a lot of money and find what your looking to do.

 

[RedFred]

There's are multiple dealers on here that do what your looking for. Sadly your barking up the wrong tree and not finding those dealers out. So I suggest do your research on here. You will save a lot of money and find what your looking to do.

Not really a helpful post. Are you suggesting I find another dealer that is far from my home to do a trade and then get them to ship the truck to me? So find a dealer that is 6-8 hours from my home to get the truck that is 7 hours away and then hope I could negotiate with them to get it for a similar price the original dealer was going to sell it to me for and then arrange shipping?

Like I said, dealers near me are at or above msrp for trucks on their lots. So I am not willing to deal with them even if they are willing to go get it and make a trade because of the cost involved in dealing with them. Dealing with a local dealer in this case, would cost me an additional $8-10k. I'm not willing to pay that. The truck I was looking at is desirable to me because it is optioned very close to what I want and I can get it for a desirable price. Without the reduced price, it's not worth the hassle to me.

 

[Aseras]

Not really a helpful post. Are you suggesting I find another dealer that is far from my home to do a trade and then get them to ship the truck to me? So find a dealer that is 6-8 hours from my home to get the truck that is 7 hours away and then hope I could negotiate with them to get it for a similar price the original dealer was going to sell it to me for and then arrange shipping?

Like I said, dealers near me are at or above msrp for trucks on their lots. So I am not willing to deal with them even if they are willing to go get it and make a trade because of the cost involved in dealing with them. Dealing with a local dealer in this case, would cost me an additional $8-10k. I'm not willing to pay that. The truck I was looking at is desirable to me because it is optioned very close to what I want and I can get it for a desirable price. Without the reduced price, it's not worth the hassle to me.

There's dealers here, as mentioned that will order and sell you the exact truck you want at invoice or even below invoice, forget MSRP and that BS. In some cases saving you $10-15k and they will give you the current incentives and lock in the pricing. You can chose to pick up the truck, or ship it. Shipping it figure a buck a mile. So figure it costs you $2k to ship it. If you can wait and you don't need a truck this weekend, it's a no brainer if you can wait.

Mark Dodge Thread

Figured I'd start a Mark Dodge thread for those of us that ordered from them. ( If not allowed I'm sure a moderator will let me know and delete, not trying to break any rules) I know there are a bunch of us but it's hard to keep up with everyone. Also curious to try to see when/if anyone...

5thgenrams.com

4% Under Invoice on a new Ram 1500 Order

Hi, everyone My name is Zach and I'm the dealer principal at a Stellantis dealership in Granger, Iowa. As a locally owned store, my goal is to follow the golden rule and treat others how they'd like to be treated. No matter how you interact wih our store on a vehicle purchase, service repair, or...

5thgenrams.com

 

[RedFred]

Thanks Aseras. I know about the dealers that will order below invoice. I got a couple quotes already. That is in my pocket and if all else fails I will order a truck. Probably not from MD because they are 1500 miles away from me, but most likely Koons in Virginia or another dealer in PA closer to me. I am open to getting a Laramie, Longhorn, or Limited. Just hoping to find one on a lot optioned the right way for the right price. Shopping is half the fun for me so I'm in no rush. Currently driving a 4th gen Laramie and it's still a great truck. If I have to order, I might wait a couple months and time it so I get delivery in the spring to avoid a North Jersey winter with the new truck. But if something pops up optioned the way I want, and a good price, on a dealer lot, I would probably jump on it. So I keep looking. Like I said, shopping is half the fun for me, so the process doesn't bother me.

 

[Runagun]

Not really a helpful post. Are you suggesting I find another dealer that is far from my home to do a trade and then get them to ship the truck to me? So find a dealer that is 6-8 hours from my home to get the truck that is 7 hours away and then hope I could negotiate with them to get it for a similar price the original dealer was going to sell it to me for and then arrange shipping?

Like I said, dealers near me are at or above msrp for trucks on their lots. So I am not willing to deal with them even if they are willing to go get it and make a trade because of the cost involved in dealing with them. Dealing with a local dealer in this case, would cost me an additional $8-10k. I'm not willing to pay that. The truck I was looking at is desirable to me because it is optioned very close to what I want and I can get it for a desirable price. Without the reduced price, it's not worth the hassle to me.

RedFred, Looking at your Time frame of being a member here. I kind of wonder what Threads are you reading. Aseras Posted info that isn't Hidden. When I tell you to read and do research here, I'm Not being on a high horse or anything. The Number 1 dealer that most people here use is Mark Dodge. There's countless threads about that. One really really long thread. They're your best bet to buy it online and have it shipped. Now doing a trade-in , wouldn't be feasible unless you want to pay for shipping to them. Best way for that would probably be sell it to Carvana or any of the other online 3rd parties that buy and sell to your door.

 

[RedFred]

RedFred, Looking at your Time frame of being a member here. I kind of wonder what Threads are you reading. Aseras Posted info that isn't Hidden. When I tell you to read and do research here, I'm Not being on a high horse or anything. The Number 1 dealer that most people here use is Mark Dodge. There's countless threads about that. One really really long thread. They're your best bet to buy it online and have it shipped. Now doing a trade-in , wouldn't be feasible unless you want to pay for shipping to them. Best way for that would probably be sell it to Carvana or any of the other online 3rd parties that buy and sell to your door.

Ok, I now understand what you are trying to say. And I have reached out to Mark Dodge already. They have been real easy to deal with and they gave me a couple of quotes on builds that I sent them. I have also gotten a couple of quotes for builds from Koons also. This was in early August, but before I could decide on which build I wanted to order, they stopped taking orders for 2022 trucks. So I decided to hold off on ordering a 2023 since they were no where near ready to start building them. I wanted the freedom to keep shopping in case I found something on a dealer lot. I found that truck that was 7 hours away, and thought I could easily buy it, not knowing that they wouldn't sell it to me unless I was there in person. A little disappointed since the price was right and I got to see pictures of it, but no big deal. Eventually, I will most likely order something like you mentioned, because searching for the right truck at the right dealer hasn't worked out so far. Koons is within driving distance from me (4hour drive), so most likely I will look to order from them when I'm ready.