Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives What will I really have to pay for a truck?

I have avoided it as long as possible and am having to spring for a replacement truck soon. I've been looking for a lightly used (2yrs old and <30K miles) 4x4 1/2 ton ford supercrew with Lariat or higher trim and the used ones are ridiculously priced. I haven't gone to the dealership to haggle over a new one yet as I don't have a whole day to get tied up in their games. If the sticker is in the $44k range what can I expect to really pay if I haggle hard and shop 2-3 dealerships? I am in the Houston, TX area and they move a lot of trucks here but have a bunch on the lots and the calendar is headed towards 2015 fast! How about 3/4 tons - what's the real world price if I jump up to a superduty diesel? I'd love to hear sticker vs. actual from anyone has bought new this year regardless of brand.

With the 2015 models coming soon, I would think that Ford would have some pretty heavy discounts coming. I haven't had to pay over invoice for the last four Fords I've bought. My current F150 Supercrew is a 2013 and I was able to get it for $700 under invoice and zero percent financing. You should start by deciding exactly what you want and then email several dealerships in your area. Don't call them. They'll just want you to come to them. Tell them your ready to buy on Friday and whoever gives you the best deal gets the sale.

I usually send one email with all of the local dealers in it so that they can see the competition.

Good luck.

Bob

^^^^ This.

If you're in a major metro like Houston, you should have no problem finding 8 or 10 dealers. Tell them you'll accept bids for 48 hours, then you'll call each dealership only once to give them an opportunity to beat the lowest bid.

Fightingchance.com has a package they sell, but you can get enough information from their website to solicit your own bids. They key is to know exactly which model you want, what color, & the exact options. Try to make sure it's fairly common, so they'll have some incentive to cut a great deal: If you insist on candy apple red, with antelope leather seats & heated cup holders, you're probably not going to receive many bids.

Let us know how you fare.

FC

PS - You could also go to truecar.com , and treat their number like the absolute most you would pay. They call it a "fair" price, but the site is owned/sponsored by the dealers/mfgrs, and their "fair" price will have a "fair" profit built into it. If you get bids like willhunt4 suggested, you'll probably be really surprised at how much less some bids will be.

If you find a used lariat or higher trim, supercrew for $44 you better buy it.

Had my Silverado in for dealer service this morning. Most of the new 2014s are about $6K to $8K off of the sticker price now.

So a 2014 Silverado 1500 crew 4x4 that stickered around $42 to $45K is in the mid 30s. Still a brand new truck, looks no different from the 2015s.

I've never paid sticker price for a new truck yet, discounts/rebates from $5K (in 2002) to $8K (on the 2010 I have now), but that was a spring 2010 purchase, not a "left over" in the fall.

You should actually build one online and use the print out to decide what options you're willing to live without. Doing this gives you an idea of the value of the truck. I have done this for the last two - a 2000 and a 2008.

I do not like most of the electric power options, and built one for last weekend $26,000. I went to the dealership and looked at what they had on the lot. As I type, I'm waiting to hear back about a 2014 Ford STX 2WD for $22,190 + taxes. That is about $4,000 less than what it prices out on the Ford site.

This time of year is good for deals. The down side is the deals are only on what they have left. It beats waiting 10 to 12 weeks though.

I bought my '14 Ram in June. Sticker was $44K and i got it for a bit more than $31k.

GM should be paying people to get those off the lot.

Get online and use www.kbb.com or www.autotrader.com and look at several hundred from your home. They have a feature that allows you to see what people in your area actually paid vs sticker. Do your research before you ever talk to a dealer.

You should know within a few hundred dollars what is a fair price before talking to a dealer. You can also know exactly what your trade is worth in real money. On many older vehicles the most accurate way to put a value on your trade is simply to take it to the bank and ask how much they would loan on it if someone were buying from you.