Get 'em while they're not hot! Dodge Rams going for $13k below MSRP
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.
[Source: Automotive News, sub req'd]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
MemphisNET 10:48AM (5/05/2008)
Maybe contractors will use this slow down as an opportunity to refresh their fleet. The economic rebound is only a matter of time. 20k is a good price on a brand new truck!
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Xcountryflyer 2:24PM (5/05/2008)
If you want a Dodge Ram, which is the worst of the full-size pickups. By far.
Zeus.:God 4:28PM (5/05/2008)
Are you kidding? I certainly hope you're kidding, country. If you're not, you're mistaken.
Mattias 4:32PM (5/05/2008)
Contractors? Did the credit crunch leave any of those intact?
Mallory 7:35PM (5/05/2008)
The more the economy tanks and the higher unemployment goes, the more "contractors" there are.
Ferdinand 10:56AM (5/05/2008)
"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."
Yeah, okay. Wonderful. Now tell me what any dealer or consumer can do that will actually have any affect on fuel prices? Do clowns get paid to add these irrelevant statements while reporting a straightforward article?
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Jon 11:00AM (5/05/2008)
All reporters get paid per word. Didn't you know that? That is why we get rubbish reports on slow news days, because someone needs some money to pay for gas, or buy a gallon of milk. It is how this world now turns.
chris 10:54AM (5/05/2008)
At least there's been some improvement in the US market 0.6%...
I think that it's not just Gas but everything is getting more expensive.
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Matt 10:57AM (5/05/2008)
That $13k will probably pay for gas for about a year at the rate things are going...
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Chris Carey 11:05AM (5/05/2008)
Gas is already trending down, this may be a great buying opportunity actually to save some money on a new car.
Do you really think they (the republicans) are going to allow $4 gas in a election year?
http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/gas-prices-make-slight-dip/
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Matt 11:17AM (5/05/2008)
Chris are you talking futures prices? Because here in West LA, premium gas is $4.69/gal and diesel is $4.99. Ridiculous!
John 11:24AM (5/05/2008)
It's hard to hear what the Republicans are doing with all the squeals of glee from Democrats with the ultra high gas prices and the downward sales trend of those evil trucks and SUV's. They revel in the fact people are suffering and have to give up their vehicles.
FSM 11:35AM (5/05/2008)
@ John
You are right I revel and squeel with glee every time I see another SUV and Quadcab on the used lot. Because for far too long us "greenies" have been warning you truck driving idiots that the cheap gas was not going to last forever. I don't feel one iota of pity for all the poor people that can't afford to drive their SUV's and trucks to soccer practice or to the mall. I hope it forces them to get rid of cable and their cell phones.
Mallory 12:46PM (5/05/2008)
"...expects prices to fall back toward $3 a gallon over the summer."
Wow, back all the way 'towards' $3/gal. I think the message finally got thru this time and shy of gas falling below $2/gal people won't be flocking back towards commuting in F-250 and Suburbans any time soon. Plus it's not just gas prices moving people towards more efficient vehicles, it's the pollution and Middle East issues too.
Chris Carey 1:11PM (5/05/2008)
The thing that people miss is that there is legitimate reasons to drive a big vehicle. Personally I drive a 6 passenger Durango. Is it because I don't care about the environment no...Its because there isn't a better option for someone with 4 kids in Michigan where the roads get crazy and 4 Wheel drive is required. You show me a inexpensive vehicle with 4 Wheel drive that gets a 5 star crash rating, can tow once in a while, and haul 4 kids around and I'll buy it whether or not gas goes up or down. It really makes me crazy that the radical greenies that drive itty bitty Priuses around at 90Mph zipping in and out of traffic are so quick to judge me driving a SUV... If Dodge wants to sell an all electric plugin SUV with 4 wheel drive that can carry 6 I'm all over it. In the meantime you wont find me buying a car or truck that doesn't fit my family.
tekdemon 3:48PM (5/05/2008)
If you have a legitimate reason then keep driving it, but bashing the Prius as "itty bitty" when most of the world drives micro-sized cars that are 1/2 as big as the Prius is just SUV snobbery.
Anyways, just don't whine when gas is $8 a gallon like Europe.
Mallory 7:42PM (5/05/2008)
"The thing that people miss is that there is legitimate reasons to drive a big vehicle."
There can be, it's just most people don't have one. For example, most people don't have 4 kids and live in Michigan. Of course there are plenty who live in Michigan that don't require 4wd, and plenty who have 4 kids that don't drive SUVs, but whatever.
icu812ru469 11:15AM (5/05/2008)
Under $3/gal? I don't think politics or anything is going to bring prices back down to under $3. I think $3-ish is the new price to stay. Hopefully $3 stays longer than $2 did.
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Russell 11:16AM (5/05/2008)
Please no more Chrysler news, its nausiating.
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MemphisNET 11:29AM (5/05/2008)
If people were buying these for work it wouldn't be an issue.
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