buying a power wagon!

[beachbunny]

so i'm new at buying new trucks and I can't figure out why ,with ,1.5 months left in nov, 2019 trucks are still in "transit" and they all have different "incentives".So how do you get the best deal? I'm in MD. right now taking care of people and will head back to Ak come spring.
TIA

 

[Titan]

You can get a pretty good idea of the price you need to pay by cross referencing a dealer like Dennis Dillon. They work with extremely high volumes.

A general % off msrp on a powerwagon is roughly 18%. I have seen some people in the 21% range on leftover models.

Start sending emails to different dealers. Forget all the discounts and incentives, throw your willing to pay price in there and see who will make a deal.

 

[Beendare]

It helps if you know exactly what you want...and are willing to compromise a little on equipment, color, etc- settling for units in stock.

Ram is going after Ford as the #1 truck seller...they are willing to wheel and deal. I recently bought a Ram playing them off against Ford....I was leaning toward a Ford but the Ram was $5k less with more options.

...

 

[Desk Jockey]

Not Ram specific, but hitting them up late in the month when they are trying to reach sales goals has worked for me on new car purchases. For a bit more fun, walk in late afternoon on the last Sunday of the month.

 

[Yellowknife]

so i'm new at buying new trucks and I can't figure out why ,with ,1.5 months left in nov, 2019 trucks are still in "transit"

The 2500 model years are currently lagging well behind the 1500's. They sold 2018 2500's for the first several months of 2019. Since the 2019 PW's just hit the lots a few months ago, so they aren't in a hurry to do the 2020's yet. It might be a while before you see those.

I bought a 2018 Power Wagon a year ago. It's been a solid truck and has stayed out of the shop so far. There are essentially three grades of Power Wagons, so make sure you are cross shopping the same packages. At the time I bought mine, a standard Power Wagon was the equivalent of an SLT/Bighorn grade interior. "Equipment Package 2" looks the same on the exterior, but is really another class of truck. Essentially a Laramie with a winch. The other much cheaper option, was the Tradesman PW. I personally liked the Tradesman a lot. Stealthier, but still has all the important stuff.

You probably already know this, I would say that if you expect to haul a lot, watch the options and check the door sticker. A fully loaded and blinged out PW has very little payload. The issue with the payload is all in squat and sway control. The squat isn't a big deal, but a tall heavy load on our AK frost heaves can generate some exciting sway. They are NOT friendly to sled decks or campers in stock form.

 

[zacattack]

so i'm new at buying new trucks and I can't figure out why ,with ,1.5 months left in nov, 2019 trucks are still in "transit" and they all have different "incentives".So how do you get the best deal? I'm in MD. right now taking care of people and will head back to Ak come spring.
TIA

If you want the best deal you need to play dealerships against each other. Test drive and decide what you want then email several dealerships in the area what’s their best “out the door price”, this will include tax tag title etc. for that particular truck or one that they have that’s exactly like it. Whoever gives you the lowest send it to the other dealerships and see if they can beat it.

Have either cash or financing ready when you go to buy. Don’t rely on the dealership for financing. If you need financing have the dealership check and see if they can beat the terms from whoever you got a loan from.

And like already stated go on the last day of the month. They are ready to wheel and deal to sell a car at that point.

 

[camelcluch]

Two hours before closing on the last day of the month. Tell them the price then leave if you have too. Told to me by a dealer.

 

[dsclowers]

If you have some time (1 month), the best deal I've found on Ram and Jeeps is through the Tread Lightly (https://www.treadlightly.org/join-tread-lightly/) affiliate program. You have to join at the $100 level and then have to wait a month. After that you can buy FCA brands at 1% under invoice and then subtract all current incentives. This can be a vehicle on the lot or a special order. I used this program to buy a new Jeep back in 2013 and to special order a Ram 2500 back in 2018. After figuring out the Tread Lightly price I tried all of the tricks mentioned above and nobody would beat the 1% under invoice price with all current incentives. That includes Dave Smith in ID, my local dealer, all of the dealers over in Denver, etc.

It's definitely worth the $100 and it worked great for me twice. No negotiations and the 1% is good for all options, extended warranty, etc.

If nothing else, it is good to have that guaranteed price in your back pocket when negotiating with dealers.

Good luck!!

 

[rayporter]

be patient, dodge is overloading dealers right now with unwanted stock. somewhere down the road they will get serious about selling.
I bought my truck in june 2 years ago and they were ready to deal by then.

 

[beachbunny]

alrighty men,thanks for the insight, I'm being deluged by emails and calls trying to sort them all out with the different options.
what i'm gathering is roughly 20% off msrp is a good place to be.
i plan on a 4wheelcamper on top with some bags.
really miss my old k5 with manual window cranks,no cigarette lighter and no radio.
ah, the good ole days

 

[Antarctica]

man - I thought this was going to be about old school power wagons, and I was going to have some serious jealousy.

 

[SwiftShot]

I can't understand why the new Power Wagons don't come in Diesel anymore. That makes no sense to me now.

 

[beachbunny]

for s&gs ,i looked on ebay,same dealers are selling the same truck with no fees!
i have not bought a new since 86.
is it crazy or what thinking one can do that?

 

[beachbunny]

man - I thought this was going to be about old school power wagons, and I was going to have some serious jealousy.

Like in "mugambo"?

 

[SWOHTR]

I can't understand why the new Power Wagons don't come in Diesel anymore. That makes no sense to me now.

The weight of the engine is my last recollection. Why put a heavy engine on a trail rig?

 

[beachbunny]

man, this ebay thing is wild,they'll even bring it to you

 

[Yellowknife]

i plan on a 4wheelcamper on top with some bags.

really miss my old k5 with manual window cranks,no cigarette lighter and no radio.
ah, the good ole days

The Tradesman PW is about as close to that as you can get any more. About as basic and capable as you can get. I really like the “carpet delete” option. Vinyl floors make it so much easier to clean mud and snow out.

A co-worker of mine has one with firestone bags and daystar cradles. It makes it into a real 3/4 ton again. Shouldn’t have any problem with a camper set up that way.

I believe there is another brand (Air Lift?) that’s lets you drop down to 0 psi and get that softer unloaded ride back.

 

[backcountry1pr]

I can't understand why the new Power Wagons don't come in Diesel anymore. That makes no sense to me now.

Owning a PW, as well as a diesel Dodge, I would never want to drop that motor into the PW. I understand the sentiment, but if you are serious about taking the PW to places where its optional equipment comes into play, the weight of the diesel motor would kill a lot of the usability as an offroader. The PW is already a fairly impractical woods truck with its size and weight, and the diesel weight penalty would all but make it pointless. Your front end would be so stiff to handle the weight/travel/compression it would be a miserable ride. As has been said, the PW isn't super practical as an HD truck either, but for someone who needs both a backcountry capable and HD truck, it can fall into a small niche as a decent compromise. (and keep you from owning two). I run a FourWheelCamper in mine a bunch, and it can do about anywhere. Bags mean I can also tow with it when needed on paved roads.

 

[beachbunny]

kinda the plan yellowknife , thanks
i use to hose my blazer out after running the beaches

 

[Yellowknife]

I can't understand why the new Power Wagons don't come in Diesel anymore. That makes no sense to me now.

They have never made one with a diesel. It wouldn’t work with the soft suspension and there would be no room for the winch.

They PW is designed for significant wheel travel (it even has a sway bar disconnect). The extra 800+ lbs of a Cummins would make that pretty tough.