Hello HDRAMS folks

[GotDiesel]

I'm new in town....
Here doing some research on future purchase of either a 2500 or 3500 single wheel long bed.
Currently have a 2008 2500 Duramax Long Bed.
Trying to find a 2019 with a Diesel Longbed Crew Cab.
Ram has upped their game and have been impressed with our Dodge 4500 Cab chassis ambulance that I'm in frequently.

So, I'll be asking lots of questions about various options and your owner experience with these trucks.
Thanks in advance.
GotDiesel....
Richmond, VA

 

[Great White North Eh]

Welcome,are you in the front or...the back

 

[GotDiesel]

Welcome,are you in the front or...the back

I'm generally in the back....they don't let drive to much any more ... "done killed too many folks, try riding the the back, maybe you wont kill so many folks "
In seriousness I' m a Paramedic so most of the time in the back doing patient care....

 

[Great White North Eh]

I'm generally in the back....they don't let drive to much any more ... "done killed too many folks, try riding the the back, maybe you wont kill so many folks "
In seriousness I' m a Paramedic so most of the time in the back doing patient care....

Ah I see as long as your not the one strapped down anywho thanks for doing your job in these $#!T times

 

[Brutal_HO]

2500 Diesel will have pitiful payload. I saw a sticker posted in that thread recently at 2036 lb. My 04.5 was 1870. You'll double that in a 3500.

If you think you'll ever in a million years tow a fifth wheel, get a 3500. You'll give up some cush in the ride quality, but won't be kicking yourself in 3 years when you upgrade trailers.

 

[User_1648]

Welcome and thanks for what you do daily! In regards to the future purchase...ask away. There's a lot of great folks on this forum who will help out in a second.

 

[Kimo7]

Welcome and like others have said, I would also like to say thank you for your service. I’m hoping some of the good that comes out of this event is a renewed appreciation of EMS personnel, it feels like as a country we might have lost our way. I’m in Northern VA and know the Richmond area can be a tough place to work, some places more than others!

I used to be a devout GM guy but I’ve owned more Ram/Dodge trucks than any now and feel they are THE class of the field. In addition to the operating capabilities their interiors are superior in material quality, fit and finish and aesthetics. In my opinion the new Chevy styling is just plain terrible. I can‘t believe they actually produced a truck that ugly, thank goodness GMC stayed with something reasonable.

Brutal is right about the diesel and 2500 tow capabilities. That’s true of any manufacturers 3/4 ton. I had a diesel 2500 previously that would tow over 17,000 lbs but the cargo capacity was only 1900 lbs. My new 2500 with the 6.4 hemi has a cargo cap of 2931 lbs and will tow almost as much as the diesel at 14,431 lbs., crazy right. I use my trucks as daily drivers and so far I prefer the hemi given up front cost of the diesel, maintenance and operating costs of oil changes, fuel filters and DEF fluid. The Cummins is a beast for towing if you need it.

I agree with Brutal if you’re going to go with the diesel I would go with the 3500, you’ll have room to expand your tow needs. Good luck with your search. There’s deals to be had right now. I bought a 2013 1500 Longhorn just outside of Richmond in nearby Ashland from Whitten Brothers and they treated me very fairly. I dealt with the GM Zach Cochran, super good guy, positive experience. The best delivery experience I’ve ever had to date. They had a young man on staff whose only job was to go through every feature of the vehicle with you to demonstrate how to operate all the button and computer functions so you can use it to the fullest extent possible.

Post pics of what/if you end up buying.

Good luck & stay safe !

 

[GotDiesel]

To all my fellow members,
I am turned off by the current chevy style...butt ugly. Ford lost my business with the 6.0 power joke engine failures.....our entire fleet was at one time Ford 6.0 , they would literally just stop running. Ford's answer was to simply replace the engine. At the time I had horses and could not be dead on the side of the road during the summer, would have dead horses.
At the time the Dodge had a very poor back seat room in the crew cabs , they were not a choice.

Dodge has really stepped up their game on the interior ..... I'm in my truck for hours at a time and want a comfortable cabin. My current chevy truck is comfortable, but I fell in love with the 2019 truck at a car show......

I have had great fortune with my current truck. Very few problems so far....I have had to replace all the tire sensors .. age I guess, new tires, 2 cylinder pre-heaters, oil and all the filter changes. It has / does serve me well. It is just getting long in the tooth...Want something new, due to higher expected reliability and warranty. Planing on buying the extended max care warranty.

I too have purchased from Whitten Brothers, great bunch of folks at the South Richmond location. Take my wife's mini van there for all the service....they have always treated us well.

I'm looking for the 3500 SRW for the potential towing needs. I know the ride will be a bit more harsh......It's a truck. I ride in Fire trucks/ Ambulances all day....I'm not buying a luxury sports car.

I will be asking a question in another thread about dealers.....I would love to buy from the local guys...but they only buy short bed trucks....not sure they would do a dealer trade for a truck where they will not make any money....I would guess there is a loss in profit margin when doing a dealer trade.

Thanks for the help/understanding of what may be very basic / silly questions, but I have found most dealership staff very unprepared about their products.

GotDiesel

 

[Kimo7]

There’s a lot of good guys here who are very knowledgable about the RAM product, not silly to ask anything, you’re smart to be informed before you buy. I share your point of view about dealerships being underprepared/uninformed. It’s also been my experience that very few know their products or their programs. In the past when I‘ve just randomly driven onto their lot I end up with the sales guy who’s just been hired or about to be fired. My wife goes b@tsh!t crazy when they start the rush to intercept us before we can get in the building. I’ve learned my lesson, before I ever go to a dealership I do a lot of research. When I find a vehicle I’m interested in I call and talk to the GM and ask to be put with someone who knows the product/programs and can answer questions, I’m not there to waste their time. Sounds like you might be doing the same. Good luck with your hunt for the new truck.

 

[MikeXM]

If you are not much in a hurry I would recommend that you factory order your new truck. I see two main advantages:
1. You get the exact truck you want. No compromise.
2. When you are ready to order, it most likely means you have done your research correctly. So you know what you are getting.

Order process is quite easy. And usually handled by the more experienced salesmen.

Good luck with your purchase!

 

[GotDiesel]

If you are not much in a hurry I would recommend that you factory order your new truck. I see two main advantages:
1. You get the exact truck you want. No compromise.
2. When you are ready to order, it most likely means you have done your research correctly. So you know what you are getting.

Order process is quite easy. And usually handled by the more experienced salesmen.

Good luck with your purchase!

Good afternoon ,
Not in hurry is true.
But my experience has been good at buying a left over model from previous model year. I actually have found a truck that clicks off most of the wants and meets all the needs plus a few.
My reason for not ordering, is for one, the rolling of the dice on final price and potential buyers programs in future. Two, I can see what I get, so to speak. I have already done a lots of learning, prior to joining this forum.
I'm just reading all that I can read here to further hone my knowledge. I have found that owners are the best source, dealers and websites tell you what they want you to know.
I have been on Duramax forums, since I was seriously getting ready to buy my current truck and that knowledge has served me well so far.
My burning question I have now is asking about 2 dealers that have truck I would buy. Each of these dealers are about 3 hours of drive time from where I live.
Not sure how to ask the questions/collect information without starting a flame war(s) about the 2 dealers.
I have read numerous reviews about the dealers and their respective reviews are of concern. But people's stories are not always objective as they could be. Perhaps, the rule of good experiences don't get reported, bad experiences get blown all over the internet.
The best option would for my local dealer to do a dealer trade, it really reduces their profitability from their sale, not into wasting their time.

Any ideas and or the proper place to have the discussion about said dealers is welcome.

GotDiesel

 

[MikeXM]

I get that you already found the VIN of those two trucks? Since you are 3 hours drive from them, just call and ask them if they are willing to do a deal over the phone since you are far away. You will get a fair price from my experience.

Then... Go to your local dealer and asked them to quote for the same VIN number and the price you got from the dealer. They'll will beat the price, what do they have to lose? They will factor in the exchange with the dealer. That is not your problem, so no worries.

That has been my experience in previous car purchases.

 

[Kimo7]

I agree with MikeXM, negotiate over the phone works. I just did that very thing buying in February. I buy cars more frequently than the average buyer so I have done what he’s recommending a bunch of times. I normally start by doing exactly what you‘ve done, I know what options I want and find the right truck and then call to negotiate. I’ve had good luck doing it in the past.

I will custom order my retirement truck but I agree with your thoughts on buying a truck in existing inventory and the deals that can be had. Right now is a good time. I use CarGurus to see how long they’ve had a truck on the lot. Anything over 90 days the dealer is paying interest on it meaning they’re losing money and will be more inclined to deal. The internet is a big place and has leveled the playing field a little for the consumer. We can now see most but not all of the previously hidden rebates. There’s still some magic they can work we don‘t know about.

I think asking about a dealer(s) on the forum is acceptable here in the general discussions area. You may want to hit the moderators up to be sure. Hopefully everyone stays on topic, constructive and no one starts bashing the folks you’re asking about. Maybe also private message people in the area, I‘d be happy to share what if anything I know about them. I’ve bought cars from NJ to FL.

 

[Brutal_HO]

I've never set foot in a dealership to negotiate a deal.

If you find the truck you want, there is no time like the present to get the best deal on a leftover 19. If you have good credit, the rates are stupid low now and the 0% for 84 mo on HD's is impossible to beat unless you have a bigger offset in rebates/incentives to cover the interest.. I got the best published rate in March but current rates are as much as 1% lower.

For me, the dealbreaker on the 19's when I ordered in Jan was:

1. Could not find the well optioned truck in the color I wanted.
2. Found out about the 50 gal tank option on the 20's (long bed CC only)

You could overcome #2 with the right deal and just adding an aux tank or aftermarket if that's important to you.

 

[MikeXM]

And no factory TTPMS on the 2019 too...

 

[Brutal_HO]

Also, lots of threads about deals worked and incentives to be had.

Incentives available with USAA $1000, PenFed $1000, Sam's $500, etc. You have to have been a member of these for xx days to qualify. I got the USAA incentive it just requires getting spammed from dealers who get fed the lead through truecar.

 

[GotDiesel]

And no factory TTPMS on the 2019 too...

Ok, time for a lesson- what is the TTPMS- I guess the tire pressure system? I thought that was on the truck based on Ram.com.....I have the system on my 08 chevy...
What does the the 19 trucks have for tire pressure monitoring?....

 

[MikeXM]

Ok, time for a lesson- what is the TTPMS- I guess the tire pressure system? I thought that was on the truck based on Ram.com.....I have the system on my 08 chevy...
What does the the 19 trucks have for tire pressure monitoring?....

Its the TRAILER monitoring system. The truck has the system to monitor itself. But if you want to monitor your trailer, that is an option and it became only available for trucks built after mid-February 2020.

There is a group of owners here that are trying to retrofit the system on their own as FCA won't sell an upgrade kit.

 

[GotDiesel]

Its the TRAILER monitoring system. The truck has the system to monitor itself. But if you want to monitor your trailer, that is an option and it became only available for trucks built after mid-February 2020.

There is a group of owners here that are trying to retrofit the system on their own as FCA won't sell an upgrade kit.

Thank you for the quick lesson /answer.....I can live without the gizmos in the trailer if that saves me money on a leftover 2019.....I currently do not have that feature on my current truck....and currently do not own a trailer....so...

 

[Brutal_HO]

TTPMS XG9 was available for order 2-5-20. I ordered 1-15-20.

Parts needed to retrofit have been determined, I have one of three, jumper cable is on backorder everywhere after a few people got theirs. I have orders into 6 different e-tailers in the hope there's a warehouse somewhere with one so first email I get that it shipped, I'll just cancel the others.