Ram 1500 Classic lives into 2024, but not as the bargain it used to be

The 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup debuted at the 2008 Detroit Motor Show with innovations like a coil spring rear suspension, Ram's cargo box, and a cabin we called "hands down the best interior we've seen in a Chrysler product." Lovers of simple tech, tested mechanicals, and lots of instrument panel buttons rejoice, the previous-generation truck now called the Ram 1500 Classic lives into 2024. It's not on the configurator yet, but Ram confirmed the news.

With the 2025 Ram due this year, eliminating all V8s from the lineup, it's possible this is the final year for the Ram 1500 Classic. The Classic comes standard with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 an $2,495 option. The 2025 Ram sticks with the 3.6-liter in lower trims, but it's reasonable to suspect Ram won't continue the Classic with just the V6.   

According to reports, cab choices are narrowed for 2024. The 2023 Classic comes in either Tradesman or Warlock trims, the Tradesman available in Regular Cab, Quad Cab, or Crew Cab forms and three bed lengths, the Warlock as either a Quad Cab or Crew Cab, each with its own bed length. For 2024, the Regular and Crew quarters are kaput, leaving the Quad Cab with rear half-doors as the only option. On both trims in 2023, the Quad Cab is only paired with the 6-foot-4-inch bed, so buyers in 2024 are likely locked into that cargo area as well. Engine choices don't change, the 3.6-liter V6 making 305 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque, the 5.7-liter V8 putting out 395 hp and 410 lb-ft. Both shift through an eight-speed automatic.

Due to eliminating lower trims, the truck's entry price rises $6,360 over the Regular Cab Tradesman. However, compared like-for-like, prices don't change; the Quad Cab variants of both trims cost the same in 2024 as they did in 2023 after the $1,995 destination charge. MSRPs after destination are: 

• Tradesman: $40,700 
• Warlock: $45,430 

Those buy two-wheel-drive pickups. In 2023, getting four-wheel drive means paying another $3,800.

Regardless of reason, the higher pricing might make for harder choosing among shoppers. The 2023 Ram 1500 — of the current generation only five years old — starts at $40,550 in the same configuration as the 2024 1500 Classic, a Quad Cab Tradesman 4x2 with the 6' 4" bed. Buyers who qualify for the $4,000 incentive currently being offered on the 2023 Tradesman would pay $36,550. A 2024 1500 Tradesman in the same configuration costs $41,115, only $415 over the 2024 1500 Classic. Except Ram is offering $4,500 in incentives on the 2024, so the price for that one drops to $36,915 at the time of writing.

The Warlock makes a better MSRP case for itself when compared to a 2024 Ram 1500; nevertheless, hanging on to the good old days might not make as much financial sense as it used to.