I figured I’d come back and update in case anyone else is thinking about wading into new truck buying territory. I bought a 2024 RAM 2500 Big Horn yesterday (1/31). It was a whirlwind, as these things tend to be, but I am very pleased with where I ended up. Thanks again for everyone’s advice, it was all very helpful!
After I looked at the original truck, I spent a day or two researching the heck out of the current market, including posting here for advice. I also consulted Edmunds, KBB, the RAM forums, and the Ram Trucks subReddit, among other resources. Consensus was that the market is cooling and correcting; specifically RAMs are very slow to sell right now and there is something like a 700 day backlog in inventory nationally. Of course, I happen to live in an area where EVERYONE drives a truck and RAMs are very popular. So I took it all with a giant grain of salt and set my expectations accordingly.
I also searched inventory at all of the dealers within an hour or two. I found one truck that was almost identically equipped as the orginal truck; the only difference was color and a couple of minor add-ons I could take or leave. I decided to use that truck as a bargaining chip and called the dealer to get their best out-the-door price. They got back to me quickly, they immediately took $3000 off the top in addition to the $4500 factory rebate, which amounted to $64,250 OTD or about 11-12% off MSRP. The only missing piece of data for this deal was trade-in on my truck.
On to the fun part! (Not.) Armed with a quote, I went in person to the original dealer to get a trade-in offer and see if I could negotiate the sale price of the new truck. They only took $1000 off the top, in addition to the $4500 rebate, but gave me a more-than-fair trade offer on my truck. By my numbers, we were still about $1000 apart. I told them that and after the usual hemming and hawing, they stayed firm. So I walked. Had the guy been a little less typical car-salesman-y I probably would have taken the deal, it was very fair, but he rubbed me the wrong way just enough that I got stubborn and competitive and didn’t want to cave. lol
Whew. Still one more day left in the month to get that rebate! So the next morning I went to the second dealer to see the other truck in person and get their trade-in offer on my truck. I knew the number they needed to hit on the trade in order for me to go with them. They came in low on the trade at first since they had already discounted $3k off the top; I told them where I needed them to be, and they agreed. We had a deal!
In the end, the deals were almost identical in terms of dealer discount (marginally better at the second dealer), but the base price on the second truck was about $1000 less than the first truck (no difference in the two trucks, just build cycle and cost of parts when the truck was manufactured). So it was a better deal overall. They also got me slightly better financing terms, which is almost moot because I hope to pay it off soon-ish. But I appreciated their efforts.
Honestly, I probably could have squeezed a bit more out of them on the trade, but they were so easy to deal with compared to the original dealer I was more than happy with where we settled. They did not try to upsell me on a single thing; I did not hear he words “extended warranty” a single time. They for sure earned my future business with how painless they made the whole experience.
TLDR: The new truck market is cooling/correcting. There are deals to be had. Do your research! I ended up about 13% under MSRP on a 2024 RAM 2500 Big Horn. Buying a new car is exhausting. Thanks again to everyone. I’m gonna go take a nap. 
) I grabbed a new, leftover 2020 3500 gas in the Limited trim - 4.10 axle ratio and tow package, but none of the fancy trailer cameras. I got about 15-18% off MSRP, but this was the February before car prices went wild. There is a Ram forum that has a thread where people share what they are getting off MSRP and from which dealers. I did get my truck out of state - had to drive to MD from NJ. NJ dealers weren’t coming off of MSRP at all at the time.
She’s technically at a dealer for another make, but can get Rams - it just feels like more time and effort. Blah.
