Paladin06

Get 'em while they're not hot! Dodge Rams going for $13k below MSRP
Posted May 5th 2008 10:29AM by Jonathon Ramsey
Filed under: Car Buying, Trucks/Pickups, Marketing/Advertising, Chrysler, Dodge



A tight credit market, slumping construction, an economy on bed rest, an end-of-model year, and high gas prices mean one thing for pickup trucks: lots of brand new trucks waiting for buyers. Dealers trying to shift their 2008 Dodge Rams before the 2009s arrive are taking as much as $13,000 off the bill to try and convince buyers to come forth. That means you can get a Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab SLT 4x2 for $19,995, instead of $32,795.

With consumers being more picky about what and when they buy, it also doesn't help that dealers really don't want trade-in trucks either, since they can't do anything with them. What Dodge dealers hope for now is that Chrysler will manage the build-out of the 2009 models to give them a chance to get rid of the 2008s. Chrysler says it has a plan that will keep it competitive and keep the changeover orderly. For now, the Ram is the most heavily discounted vehicle out there.

For a dealer in Ohio, the matter of 120-day inventories really comes down to gas prices. "Until we get gas under three bucks a gallon," he said, "these pickups are not going to move." We're sure that no one wants that to be true, because if it is, there will be brand new 2008 Rams on showroom lots for a long time.

TechmanBD

SOB, if only I could afford another vehicle. That is a kick ass price.

Yankee

I've got an 04 Ram QC, I've been pestered by Dodge with all sorts of offers to trade up for a new one - I'd even get an extra $1000 "loyalty discount" on top of all the other incentives... I dunno. I always said if I were to trade, I'd go with a 2500 with the Cummins instead of another Hemi, but with diesel at $4+ a gallon that option is pretty much out the window.

Besides, the current lame-duck model is always gonna be the best deal since many I'm sure are waiting for the new 09s. We'll see. For now I'll stick with what I've got.

MGDMike

Hmmmm.. very interesting Watson!

RoswellGrey

Meanwhile, I stopped by my local Ford dealer yesterday because they had a Bullitt Mustang on display. After checking it out ($32,000), I was looking at the new TWO-DOOR Focuses. They're $17,000 to $18,000. That's as much as a 6-cylinder Mustang!

RLSH700

My Ford dealer has a Shelby GT (not a GT500, just a GT) that has been sitting on their lot for at least half a year. They have since marked it down from their initial price increase to $45K down to $37K. They are insane not only because people are not going to pay that much money for a dressed up GT, but they are delusional that people in that town are actually have that kind of money to spend on a weekend car.

You wouldn't be able to get me to take one of those Focuses even if they were paying me $17K or $18K to keep it and drive it. They really missed it on that one if you ask me.