[T48]

Looking for some advice on buying a new '12 or say a used '07-'10.(yes I know everything changed on the '09's). But prices are all over the place & keep reading about some deals people seem to accomplish that seem to make buying used a pretty tough choice. That being said would probably have to wait a couple more months (March/April) to be in a better position to purchase new.

An example you hear/see posts of people getting $9-$12 grand off of new sticker, but two years down the road a dealer will have that truck used asking more than it sold for new. At least in theory.

Currently looking at a '10 Quad Cab Bighorn 5.7 4wd with cloth buckets/console. Has chrome steps, spray in liner & K&N cai for just under $23k with 50,000 miles on the clock.

I like the updates the '12's have, but it is more of an issue of money spent vs. what you get.

Any advice or thoughts much appreciated.

 

[stangallmotor]

Buy new if you can, Save up till March which I think is truck month so huge incentives from dodge. When I bought my R/T I could have gotten a CC 4x4 for 26k brand new so just save up and spend a few grand more and get a brand new truck!

 

[brad12kx]

The thing I like the best about new, is the warranty. If you don't need it, Great! But if you do, it sure is nice to get your truck fixed and keep the coffee money in your pocket. :smileup:

If you go the used route, I always recommend that you set aside a sizable 'rainy day' fund. If you don't need it, it's a great down payment if/when you buy new later, and is good piece of mind if you stick with used.

Either way, you have to answer to yourself about the finances, so do what your most comfortable with, but always remember that it is a vehicle, and they do break down. :str:

 

[GTyankee]

Did you know that you can buy the DODGE RAM EXPRESS in just about all the cab styles ??

You can get a 2012 Express, with 3.92 ratio rear end with LSD
Pick the Radio of your choice, research it first

This model is what Ram is calling an entry model Ram
If you choose the options carefully, you can get a nice truck for less money & when you decide to modify, it can be done in stages

I would also order it with the Sport performance hood

 

[SilverHemi]

honestly when it comes to it the only thing u by with new is a little warm feeling knowing ur the only one who has owned it but u gotta pay and extra what 15-20k for new......im sorry warrianties are bs anyways there is always aa way around them that the dealership does and plus fixing ur ride is fun and gives u something that will keep u busy lol

 

[snrusnak]

That 2010 your looking at is a pretty decent deal. I would buy used every time, you save a lot of money. I'm not sure where you came up with your scenario of a used truck selling for more than a new one...? Say a new truck is $40,000 and it sells for $35,000, or $30,000 at the least, well the minute you drive it off the lot it's worth $20,000-$25,000...so used it will always sell for less. I bought my truck 9 months old with 38,000 miles on it in near perfect condition for under $20,000 and I believe it is just under $40,000 new. So I saved nearly $20,000 and basically have the same truck. Also the warranty transferred, I think it's 100,000 miles power train...

People saying "I got $10,000 off sticker" means nothing, the only thing that matters in the end is what you actually pay for it. Watch out for 6 year payments too, they love to disguise the actual cost by making your payment lower. Yeah, $100/month is a low payment, but if you pay it for 20 years that's not a good deal!

Also, end of the month is the best time to buy, preferably the last sunday of the month.

 

[UltraFlame]

I have fought with the same question for years. I have of course done both. My 07 I bought used with a 100K on the odometer and it is twice the truck over a new one but I have spent a lot of time and money to make her what she is. The new vehicles I have bought in the past have done me well and not once have I had to use the warranty services "knock on wood" but I knew the warranty was there and I put 100% of the miles on the trucks. I drove one of my Chevy's 255K miles and never had a problem and also sold it for 9 grand but it looked like new since I take care of my vehicles.

Be honest with yourself you have to choose and make your best deal. Keep your options open and you will get one you can live with.

 

[T48]

Thanks for all the input. Much appreciated! I really want to buy a good used truck & save some cash on the front side. But it seems since the cash for clunkers deal used vehicle(& in particular trucks) prices have went up dramatically.

I watched a used 07/08 Ram sit in a particular dealers lot last year for several months at around $19 grand. They just rolled in a 08 & have it posted for sale at $22+thousand. Virtually identical in options, color & miles. My local dealers leave much to be desired, but just trying to watch/learn as time goes....& the 2010 deal above is out of state up in WI.

I have had two brand new vehicles in my life, one was a '97 Ram 1500 & the other was a 2000 GMC Sierra. Fortunately neither had a warranty issue. Everything else has been used. Win some deals, lose others, should have kept some of those in there too.

Always thought back in the day that you needed to have that new through three year old vehicle for reliability. Now days you honestly see odometers(Dodge, Ford G.M.) with a couple hundred thousand miles on them. Which is what I am looking at, in regards to sticking with something long term.

Again, appreciate all the advice.

 

[CajunDodge]

I had the same choice when it came to buying my truck and my original plan was to buy a decently used, clean, low mileage vehicle. At the time (March '08) the incentives were too good to pass up and in my case, I do like having a warranty but if you can buy a new truck for $23K, why buy a used truck for the same price? You're right, though, quality has improved in some areas over the years and not so much in other areas due to cost cutting measures by the manufacturers. This is my second brand new, off the dealer lot vehicle, all the rest I bought used and they lasted as long as I wanted to keep them anyway. I know some dealers around here are offering $12K off a new truck but that is not to say you can't find a good deal on a decently used truck that is still in good shape so you can save your money until you're ready to buy new. Either way, good luck with your purchase and be sure to keep us posted!

- Cajun

 

[snrusnak]

I watched a used 07/08 Ram sit in a particular dealers lot last year for several months at around $19 grand.

That's what I paid for my 2010 in jan/feb of 2011. We also bought my wife's chevy aveo used for next to nothing paid cash and it has been probably the best car I've owned, no problems other than one little thing that cost me $60. She's put 40k miles on it since we bought it about 4 years ago and it's an 04(maybe 05, can't remember). Also bought both my motorcycles used, and my last chevy s10 used and it's still running just about perfect (sold to my boss). The s10 is the 2nd best vehicle I've had, over 220,000 miles when I sold it with very few issues. The motorcycles were cheap and run fine as well. I've had great luck used, but also know what to look for and know how to fix and maintain things. I think that's the biggest thing when buying used is know what to look for, and then knowing how to maintain it.

At the same time though my dad bought his brand new 2005 Ram 1500 ST long bed for $16k out the door during the employee pricing and other incentives, so you can get great deals new but usually I see them only with regular cabs and base models...

 

[5280RAM]

I swore I would never buy a new vehicle because of how fast depreciate but that didn't matter to me a few days ago when I got my 2012 crew cab big horn. It was almost a 39k truck marked down to about 30k. A used 09 on the lot was 29k. I'm glad i went with the new one.

 

[titanman2789]

With the incentives they are offering on these trucks, I would go with a new one. Most people I have seen on the Z are getting anywhere from 6-8 grand off sticker on a new truck. But if you could get the same kind of discount on a used one, then that would be a tough deal to pass up.
I still say go with the new one if you can wait.

 

[pgh234]

In todays current environment...I agree with others and say think about buying new. When I purchased my loaded '11 Big Horn a year ago for $31K...there were used stripped '09 Big Horns listed at $34K in the same lot. I also traded in my used Jeep Grand Cherokee with over 100K miles for more than I purchased it for 3 years ago.

 

[NMBowtie]

I have generally bought used, but when I was looking for my 4g a little over a year ago it was cheaper to buy new. The dealerships around me had 09 and 10 used trucks for $29-31k with around 30k miles on them (pretty basic SLT QC 4x4s). I bought a new 10 ST QC 4x4 for a little over 26k. Sure it was missing a few options (keyless entry and EVIC were the 2 biggies), but I have added everything I wanted to have for under $500 so far, so it is still cheaper than the used SLT.

 

[T48]

Just talked to the dealership & am going to wait a bit. Great interest rate at 4.29% x 60 months. I think the used 2010 truck is a great deal, was really tough saying no. But am self employed & want to make a better down payment to start out with. Feb/March should put me in a better spot & will see what is available then.

Again, thanks much for all the info.

 

[hemiv8dodgeram1500]

just incase you buy used when i did i got the extended warranty and they would find every reason why not i would be able to use it lol they let me use it 2x, most repairs i had to pay for :smiledown:

 

[Ram10tuff]

go used!! I got my '10 CC with 8K on it for 23k cant go wrong. Get the warr. and your set. Just dont rush it and shop things out. I shopped for 3 months before i got miine

 

[wbowyer]

Cars.com payment calculator. It was MUCH cheaper for me to get a new truck vs a used one due to the differences in financing and rebates on a new vehicle. I also prefer to buy new because I don't have to worry about dealing with headaches caused by the previous owner like I have on every used vehicle I have owned.

 

[GreatTiger]

When i went shopping my dealership asked what price/payments i had in mind. He was honest enough to say that a used truck would be the same amount per month in payments due to the fact the lenders don't want more then 3 years of financing on used vehicles. (it was true i made some phone calls) So he would be able to get me into a new truck for the same monthly payment which i was much happier with anyways.

 

[snrusnak]

I don't know, there are deals out there on used vehicles. I got mine at a great price, and a 5 year finance, with a low interest rate (the dealer bought it down). I think it's 4%...maybe 5%, can't remember. My dealer also asked me what I wanted for a monthly payment and I quickly told him it didn't matter what the payment was, but what mattered was what the total cost was. I don't really care if I pay $100/month or $500/month, as long as the end result is the same (and it's within reason where I can afford it...).