Order or Buy a Pickup off the Lot?

I haven’t researched much yet but I’ll probably be in the market for a new F150 within a couple years. What are the pros and cons of ‘special ordering’ a pickup where you pick all your options, etc?

No advantage if there is one that has those options, already on a lot. In my experience it seems most options come in an “upgrade package” and are not available “stand alone”.

I ordered for the first time during the pandemic so my experience is not like others. Took 13 months to get, many of the items I ordered were eliminated so I didn’t get them. Due to microchip shortage some things didn’t work. As far as I know that’s all resolved. In the end I didn’t get everything I wanted and it took forever. I bought several trucks off the lot before and was able to get everything I wanted on them but I’m not picky. Main thing was the 6.5 box which was hard to find. Now I definitely want a 6.2 again. Would I order again? Yes

Depending on dealer there may be more incentives to buying off the lot. Like lower price and zero interest financing. But it will be completely dealer dependent. Most manufacturers sales are limited to existing inventory only, but many dealers will work to find a match to your needs in the region and have it brought in. But if it were me I would spend a bit and search online inventory of nearby dealers to see if there is something you want and go directly there, as it’s less likely you’ll be able to haggle if they are bringing one in for you.

Just went through this process last week. Went to a dealer to order a truck because we couldn’t find one online with the options we wanted. While we were there we found another truck that was far more expensive than what we would have ordered. Because the dealer had almost $10000 off and Ram put another $3000 off until September 3,it was a no brainer to get the truck on the lot. We saved a lot of money and who knows if we would have gotten the same amount of money on our trading later

Pro’s
1) Very satisfying to custom order a new Pick-up.
2) Even more driving it off the lot.
Con’s
1) Might pay a little more, but it’s worth it.

I had the same experience as Captain and will be ordering another shortly as some of the options were not available during the global Flu outbreak.

The main reason I ordered in the first place is because there was nothing on the lot to choose from. Now inventories and selection seem to be back to normal. I just wish I would have gotten the rear sliding window and the heated rear seats that I ordered and the salesman didn’t pick one of the packages I had on my build sheet so I didn’t get the home link thing for garage door I also didn’t catch it when I reviewed it

A powered rear sliding window would be awesome. There’s also some pretty cool tailgate options these days.

Not ordered but I just picked up a 23 F150 Powerboost off the lot a few weeks ago. I’ve been looking at new half tons a bunch the last year or so and you just can’t get into a GMC or Silverado at the price point of an F150.
There are still some 23 models on lots all over the midwest and the deals can be pretty wild. Coming from a GMC I was and still am a bit hesitant about a hybrid F150 but I couldn’t turn down the truck that went $20K off MSRP, basically a $67K truck for $47K. As I was filling out the paperwork I seen the dealer was making -$2K just to move the truck off the lot. Not all dealerships have this much inventory but this particular one did. The 25’s are coming out soon too and there were at least a hundred of 24’s still sitting on this lot.

Good luck, hopefully the market for these half tons has started to reset a bit. Just a year ago there was no way to get into one less than $50K.
Here is my PowerBEAST

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I have custom ordered my last 5 Ford trucks. It lets me capture all of the options I want and price shop any dealer as needed. Nowadays, you can get all the invoice pricing online and can usually get 2-3% under invoice if your a savvy shopper and look outstate if needed.
Currently there is an influx of 1/2 tons available with some aggressive rebates on the leftovers which might provide you a better deal in the end but it might not either knowing that they are old stock and discounted for a reason. The 1 ton diesel market doesn’t have an influx in trucks so the #’s game is not there on the current dealer inventory.

I’ve done both. If you’re interested in a deal on last year’s model, buy off the lot. If you want the current year, I’d encourage you to order unless you have a trade you want to negotiate on. Just my $0.02.

Dang it you guys –
Got me thinkin, so I built this one online. Might have to head to Burnsville next week.

https://www.ramtrucks.com/bmo.ram_2500.html?&sid=1037056&KWNM=2024+ram+2500&KWID=43700079319745278&TR=1&channel=paidsearch&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlIG2BhC4ARIsADBgpVSSmKis30nCrDUxMPhwX4o49Cd0IsFgMixw4O7qtV5CNxno1XTY4CIaAmGBEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#/build/exterior/56401/CUT202414DJ7R81A/2TK/APA,PSC,N6,ETL,DG7,DME,Z7F,TEA,WRE,XJ,A68,AST,ADE,AAU,AAN,AVS,SJE,XAN,LPD,XF7,NHK,GWA,XB9,XAW,XN1,UBQ,XXS,2HK

Haha EPG!
Eye guy I think you will really like that hybrid and that is a screaming deal granted it’s almost 2 years old now but who cares.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

Dang it you guys –
Got me thinkin, so I built this one online. Might have to head to Burnsville next week.

Those MegaCabs are great for multiple carseats and kids. Jussss sayin….

eyeguy507 wrote:

Here is my PowerBEAST

Sharp looking truck, I like that color too.

I agree with others here. If the dealer has what your looking for, you might be able to negotiate. If not, you’ll have to order what you want and wait for it.

My wife and I waited 8 months for an SUV last year. The dealer told me they are moving more towards custom orders and less towards keeping inventory on the lot.

Keeping much inventory on the lots will be a thing of the past pretty soon. Carrying inventory is expensive and mfgs want to start to move to a direct ordering model like you see with Tesla, Rivian, etc. Be interesting to see what dealerships look like in the next 10-20 years. I expect you’ll see a lot of consolidation and very few small dealers anymore.

I’ve never ordered. I’m an impulse car buyer…I see one I like and buy it. My wife gets very nervous when I take one of the cars or the truck to the dealer for service. It’s 50/50 I come home with a new one.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Haha EPG!
Eye guy I think you will really like that hybrid and that is a screaming deal granted it’s almost 2 years old now but who cares.

Thanks bud, I hope I don’t regret it but the amount of tech in these new trucks is overwhelming coming from a 2007 GMC. Kind of wish it was older so the stickers and insurance would be less but no complaints on this Gen 3 hybrid. Tough to not like the twin turbo 430HP and 570ft pounds of torque. Add in the 23-30mpg eco mode and it might be the best half ton on the market? I will be getting an extended warranty at 30 thousand miles just for peace of mind.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

Dang it you guys –
Got me thinkin, so I built this one online. Might have to head to Burnsville next week.

Nice build you have there but I’m not sure why anyone would buy a 3/4 ton and pay Walz (MN) 1.575% of the MSRP towards lic tabs when a 1 ton will get you $125 lic tabs. Approx $1300 savings the first year alone on a 90k+ truck.

Because I letter them up for Biz and a 1 ton (over 10,000 lbs) requires DOT #’s.

If you want a 6.5 ft bed with crew cab, it can be hard to find on the lot.

I just bought a new F150 Supercrew/6’7″ bed and took a train up to Grand Forks to get it. I searched dealers through MN, WI,Iowa and the Dakotas. I found one in Medford WI that was on order and put a deposit on it but then found the one in GF that I liked better. I wanted the EB engine, rapid red and the bigger bed which was very hard to find. I had considered ordering but two dealers told me 2024 orders are 4-6 months out and orders stop in September. They both said tho it was very possible I’d get an email stating they’d no longer do a 2024 build and I’d get stuck paying the upcharge on a 2025. Been driving Dodge/Rams since the mid 90s but decided on the Ford this time…

Karl Hungus wrote:

I just bought a new F150 Supercrew/6’7″ bed and took a train up to Grand Forks to get it. I searched dealers through MN, WI,Iowa and the Dakotas. I found one in Medford WI that was on order and put a deposit on it but then found the one in GF that I liked better. I wanted the EB engine, rapid red and the bigger bed which was very hard to find. I had considered ordering but two dealers told me 2024 orders are 4-6 months out and orders stop in September. They both said tho it was very possible I’d get an email stating they’d no longer do a 2024 build and I’d get stuck paying the upcharge on a 2025. Been driving Dodge/Rams since the mid 90s but decided on the Ford this time…

A friend of mine ordered a new F150 in March. Dealer told him 3 to 4 months. It came in 5 weeks.

MX1825 wrote:

A friend of mine ordered a new F150 in March. Dealer told him 3 to 4 months. It came in 5 weeks.

Things have certainly changed post pandemic. My truck took 13 months, was built in June and didnt move from the factory in Indiana until August I didnt get it until December.