What makes it "worth it" to factory order?

it is very simple.

A vehicle is typically the second most expensive purchase people make. I see it as financially irresponsible to not line item out a purchase of this size. We certainly apply far more scrutiny to cheaper purchases for various inexplicable reasons. Also, it keeps you sleazy "dealerships" further away from my money.

I ordered 03 Jan 2023. Delivered 26 Aug 2023. Good things come to those who are patient.

Each person's reason is different. I buy a new car/truck cause I want it, not cause I need it.
So unless a dealer has exactly what I want. I prefer to order it, exactly the way I want.

Took 8 months for my Rebel, but that was during covid.

In 2015, my dealership & a few others did not want an eco-diesels on their lot.
Much less to put it in a Quad Cab to order & then have it sit on their sales lot, no way would they do it.

2015 was the first time that the color Delmonico Red Pearlcoat, was used, no one had any idea that it was Burgundy.
I only knew that it was RED, everyone was surprised by how UGLY it was under Fluorescent Lighting & i dislike Burgundy anyway.
But, i digress

I could not even order it from the factory, unless i wanted Chrome Bumpers .
I wanted a BIG HORN SLT, the Head Sales Manager, told me that they were only sold in Canada.
The Sales Manager was Pig Headed, so i had to go around him, by going through the Internet/VIP Sales Manager.

I got almost exactly what i wanted, except the Paint Color was not RED at all, not even close
&
Chrome Bumpers & they came off real fast

Factory Order was in my hands, 12 weeks to the day

Sport Bumpers are in the boxes

Defuse said:

it is very simple.

A vehicle is typically the second most expensive purchase people make. I see it as financially irresponsible to not line item out a purchase of this size. We certainly apply far more scrutiny to cheaper purchases for various inexplicable reasons. Also, it keeps you sleazy "dealerships" further away from my money.

I ordered 03 Jan 2023. Delivered 26 Aug 2023. Good things come to those who are patient.

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CanRebel said:

Each person's reason is different. I buy a new car/truck cause I want it, not cause I need it.
So unless a dealer has exactly what I want. I prefer to order it, exactly the way I want.

Took 8 months for my Rebel, but that was during covid.

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You are both way more patient than I am. I'll wait 90 days, maybe 120 under extenuating circumstances. After that, I'm canceling the order and going elsewhere.

RamDiver said:

I laughed at your expression because I thought it could have been worded better. Thanks for asking.

Something like;

I know many of you love your Hemi but for this exercise, let's assume...

Hard core jack holes will respond in their own special way regardless of the recommended guidelines. And, I believe those types are the exception here.

I also believe it would be more respectful of the membership here to not assume that people will be wasting your time with childish posts.

YMMV

.

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Point taken - no offense to the population intended. The group here is far more inclined for positive discussion than some of the other venues that I participate in actually. Not by brand/model but man the facebook groups for some reason are just ripe for trolls. Just wanted to gain, and also provide info for others, thoughts on this specific part of the decision rather than rabbit holes about whether or not we should have dipsticks. Thanks for your feedback though it helps as well!

AnthonyRI said:

All the feedback and answers are awesome so far keep 'em coming!

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Yall have the best dealership in the country for any brand. Don't go Fn it up.

Bigskyroadglide said:

I opted for cloth interior and then had Katzkin leather installed. It was worth it

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Work truck trims are absolutely excellent right now, particularly the Rams. You can still get manual 4x4 shift. Otherwise the only amenities it has are bare minimum and not a liability (power windows, cruise control, etc).

I have never ordered new because they never offer the same amount of discounts on orders. they own inventory so they are more motivated to deal. for me it is always a matter of the trade difference. a couple years ago some folks were waiting 8 months or more for their new truck and I wondered why would anyone want to take delivery of a vehicle almost a whole model year old before it arrives.

Choupique said:

Yall have the best dealership in the country for any brand. Don't go Fn it up.

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trying not to LOL thanks!

I sincerely mean that. The only reason I even consider Ram trucks is because your quoting process for HD trucks is simple, your prices are good, and your sales people are not downright aggravating to work with. You generally get at best 2 out of those 3 and more often than not none of them. Car salesmen are often complete toolbag idiots who work for toolbag idiots who wallow through life doing their level best to screw every single person they meet in a day.

My personal buying decisions are just transactional and dependent on getting what I want at the best possible price. I will deal with the toolbags if I must to get the best price, but they rarely have what I want and have no interest in ordering, only moving what they have. Never got that treatment from yall. Yall have adapted well to the internet age and hope yall are still at the top of the game when I do buy again.

runamuck said:

I have never ordered new because they never offer the same amount of discounts on orders. they own inventory so they are more motivated to deal. for me it is always a matter of the trade difference. a couple years ago some folks were waiting 8 months or more for their new truck and I wondered why would anyone want to take delivery of a vehicle almost a whole model year old before it arrives.

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It depends on the dealership. Mine (shout out to Tyler Automotive of Niles MI) honered my supplier discount (upgraded to employee) + incentives. I could choose the better of incentives at the time of order or time of receipt.

I like the salespeople at Tyler and like the service dept(+++).

Received my Ram the day that MI shut down for COVID (3/31/2020). Ordered in late Feb 2020. Can't comment on order timing post COVID.

I'm in the Dallas, TX area and have several reasons to order over buying local. The first is I can wait. Recently I went to the Ram site and built what I want which came out to $62 and change. I clicked search inventory with a 100mi radius. The closest I found was 9 of the 17 options for $71K. One of my worst experiences with a dealership was in Rockwall, TX. I found the exact model with all the options I wanted at a price I thought was reasonable. I went for a test drive, liked it and agreed to purchase without haggling the price. As we were doing the paperwork the price jumped by thousands. They were adding stuff such as paint protection, extended tire warranties, and maintenance packages. When I spoke with the manager and told him I didn't want any of the packages, I just want the truck for the listed price, he replied they couldn't sell for that price and make money. The conversation was rather heated as I called them out as thieves trying to pull off a bait and switch.

I have ordered 12 new trucks in the past 25 years. I trade every two years. I order because that way I get the color, engine, tranny, differential, interior, GPS, towing, etc., that I want. When I find the color I want on a lot the engine is not what I want, or it has sun roof which I don't want to pay for, or it doesn't have GPS, so it's a hassle for the salesman to shop around the state. I order and get just what I want and usually it takes from 4 to 10 weeks to arrive.

I really wanted manual x-mission, so factory order was necessary.

I have a 2019 BH L2 V6 and love it. I gave up a 21 Limited because I did not need the hemi. I have tried to find a 3.6 with air ride and nice interior. In fact, I bought an 800 mi. Rebel interior and installed it in my BH. You were doing a order out special and when I told you what I wanted, that was the end of your dealership communicating with me. My truck just turned 26k and is showroom clean.

I am tired of the generic dealer circus. You are not a person, you are a line in a database. Try to get something fixed and it is "Where did you buy it". Not here, we can get to you in 6 to 8 weeks.

Ram needs to get back to 20% off plus reasonable interest rates (incentivized). You get both and not one or the other. I have driven Dodge and Ram since my first 1971 tradesman 100 with 3 on the tree. Ram needs to show the loyalty that we have shown them and not the circus.

I used to love buying a new truck every year and nice ones too, not any more.

Dealers call all the time with this or that gimmick. I asked them if they charged over sticker during the pandemic and when they say yes, I conclude the call. Dealerships ***** us customers and will never admit it. Now times are tough and you come graveling back. Have brain like elephant and will remember being ***** by dealers forever.

You asked and I tell. Until the industry comes out and makes it right for the ****** we took, people will not be back.

In late '97, I went into a Dodge dealership to buy a new RAM w/diesel and 4WD. Not paying attention to things, I wanted a 1-ton truck, but I saw that the only way you could get a 1 ton is if it came as a dually, and I did NOT want a dually. So I thanked the salesman and started to leave to go buy a Ford where you COULD get a 1 ton truck with standard axle.
As I was getting up, he said "Wait a minute, let me try something". So I sat down while he fiddled with his computer.
Long story short, I think I ended up with some kind of one-off truck because what he did was to put the order in as a 2500, but then he did a delete/add on everything he could to replace the 2500 drive train components with 3500 components EXCEPT for the axle which remained as a standard, 2-wheel axle.

So in December of '97, I picked up a brand new, special ordered 1998 2500 RAM w/3500 HD drive train and suspension components along with the 12-valve diesel (I got one of the early '98 models before the change to 24-valve), 4 wheel drive, 5-speed, all in a long bed Quad-cab.
Over time, I realized that I had accidentally ordered my Holy Grail RAM and I still drive it daily today (about to turn 300k miles with no rust and no major engine work ever needed).

So in this case at least, I am very happy to have special ordered the truck that has served me well for 26 years and will probably be the vehicle I'll still be driving on the last day of my life.

The last vehicle I custom ordered was a 1968 Forest Green Roadrunner. (wish I still had it)
Back then dealers didn't inventory the volume they do now and I special ordered because pretty
much that was the only way to get one. Since, I've always shopped for my vehicles and
tried to work with my local dealer so I would have a relationship with them. I've also found
that if the vehicle has been in the dealers stock for quite some time it was easier to get
a better deal. Example: My 2020 Limited MSRP was $69,500. It had been in the dealers
inventory for 8 months. Probably because not many people were looking for an EcoDiesel.
Anyway I traded my 2016 Eco with 120,000 miles with a trade allowance of $16,500 and
was able to widdle down the price of the new one to $58,500 plus TTL. I doubt very
seriously that I would have been able to order the same truck with that big of a discount.
The other positive in my favor I believe is that Covid was starting to spread. The truck was
exactly what I wanted. Ecodiesel, multifunction tailgate, air suspension which came as
standard equipment on the Limited. I love the truck. Despite the bad rap Ecodiesel get,
this is my second one and other than the HPFP campaign on the new one and the Software
and EGR cooler on the older one I have had zero problems.

I have and will order if dealers don’t have what I want in stock. I ordered our 94 Cherokee in Country trim. It was only way to get cloth seats (hate leather or vinyl), 5000 lb tow pack, and Select Track 4wd/awd. Also ordered 21 eco diesel Ram cause they had no eco diesel with big tank and crew cab in stock.

Thornback said:

I have ordered 12 new trucks in the past 25 years. I trade every two years. I order because that way I get the color, engine, tranny, differential, interior, GPS, towing, etc., that I want. When I find the color I want on a lot the engine is not what I want, or it has sun roof which I don't want to pay for, or it doesn't have GPS, so it's a hassle for the salesman to shop around the state. I order and get just what I want and usually it takes from 4 to 10 weeks to arrive.

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You and I are at opposite ends of the spectrum. I have ordered 3 new trucks in the past 37 years. I order what I want, which is usually minimal because I want a truck, not a show piece. I drive it until the doors fall off, then (figuratively) shove it in a ditch and buy another one. I like going 15 years without a truck payment.

I've ordered new vehicles four times in my life now, two of them Rams. My last experience was with Mark Dodge and Anthony, and it was the best experience I've had to date.

Reasons:
1. Got a very good price which improved when I picked it up, owing to Ram's incentives that weren't in place at the time of order.
2. Got very close to the truck I wanted exactly, and was able to order the best from all the available options.
3. Got a reasonably-good trade-in on my old Ram, and the whole pick-up process was very well-managed.

Downsides:
1. Waiting time and updates from the factory. The wait was end-of-June to mid-October '23. So - you do have to be patient. But for me, the old Ram continued to run its course and it wasn't critical to get it right away.

I'm definitely a believer in ordering what I want. My wife's truck is off-the-lot and it has features that we will never use - and that bugs me, the idea of paying for something I will never, ever use...