ZF Powerline for 2025 RAM HD Diesel

[Cummins12V98]

"Can’t get auto-level on a SRW" That is insane!!!

 

[Diesel85]

I picked a bad year when I bought my '21. Major truck shortage with the chip deal. Used truck prices were off the charts. My local wanted MSRP. I finally managed 7% off, I was fine with that, considering the year.

The $75k I posted is just playing with the order guides. No clue how greedy the dealers will be this year. It might pay to order sooner than later, if the hike in tariffs goes...

Very good points. Tariffs can cause artificial shortages and it's already being mentioned in many sectors.

Dealers around me want you to buy off the lot. They DO give some money off built trucks MSRP, but nothing even close to what I would consider a good deal.

Although it may be without question I look out of my area for one of those "volume" dealers.

Yep, volume dealers are around and often do 11% off msrp. I used mark dodge in LA for my Durango. They make it seamless, airport pickup or delivery and you buy a vehicle without steeping foot into the dealership. All online if you like. Paperwork is ready to go when you arrive, you’re out the door in under an hour.

@Signal73 -- I see you are in CT. Did they really give you airport service to the dealer? I just don't know if I feel like driving a new truck all the way home from LA to NY. Seems counter intuitive.

 

[Diesel85]

"Can’t get auto-level on a SRW" That is insane!!!

I'm not really putting my blessings on what was put out in those build sheets. Once there is formal publication on RAM's website and more publications out there with facts, then I'll call it insane too if that is really the case.

 

[AH64ID]

Dealers around me want you to buy off the lot. They DO give some money off built trucks MSRP, but nothing even close to what I would consider a good deal.

Very different than the dealers I've worked with, but inventory likely plays a large role.

When I got my '22 inventory was almost non-existent, so if I walked from the order they would keep my deposit and likely sell the truck for 20K more than I paid for it, so they weren't willing to do much else when the truck showed up on the lot. That being said, the order was still 7% below MSRP plus the incentives I got at the time of delivery.

 

[Signal73]

Very good points. Tariffs can cause artificial shortages and it's already being mentioned in many sectors.

Dealers around me want you to buy off the lot. They DO give some money off built trucks MSRP, but nothing even close to what I would consider a good deal.

Although it may be without question I look out of my area for one of those "volume" dealers.



@Signal73 -- I see you are in CT. Did they really give you airport service to the dealer? I just don't know if I feel like driving a new truck all the way home from LA to NY. Seems counter intuitive.

So I have bought 2 vehicles out of state. My ram was bought in NC and Kernersville CJDR actually paid up to $500 for my flight, and picked me up at the airport and brought me to the dealership.
Mark dodge will either pick you up at the airport within 300 miles of the dealership and bring you back or meet you at a location with your new vehicle within a 300 mile radius.
Either purchase minus food fuel flights, tolls, etc saved thousands in comparison to buying local at the time. Nice thing was by the time I got back home truck had its break in miles on it and was ready to tow

 

[NIsaacs]

So, I built a '24, 2500 for training/comparison purposes, on the Ram site. It came in at $71,250 Then went on to tell me there are 524, 2500's available to my location

Then I went on Kelly Blue Book to get an estimate of my trade in value, it came in at $43,000 average. Then I filled in the shopping page, all it gave me were Ford and Chevys I guess I didn't enter a big enough cost estimate...

I just used make/model on Kelly Blue Book, not my vin. I think if I had, the value may have went up some, because I have some options that it didn't ask me about.

One thing I had going for me in '21 were the low interest rates. Not looking good this year.

 

[Diesel85]

Low interest rates will not be around for many years again. From what I'm being told, the new norm is between 4-6% for auto loans for new vehicles.

For those that can afford an entire new/used vehicle in cash, I'd suggest doing it to save money. Or get a loan and pay it off as fast as you possibly can.

My local dealer which I'm using now, has an abundance of 2500 all the way up to 5500 trucks on lot. All kinds of trim levels too.

Most of the other local dealers only have 2500 and 3500 trucks on lot. Special order only for anything bigger or duallys.

 

[Grumpy8811]

Low interest rates will not be around for many years again. From what I'm being told, the new norm is between 4-6% for auto loans for new vehicles.

.

realistically, that free money period people got spoiled by began in the economic crisis of 2008, you may remember the Quantitative Easing stuff and continued right up until a couple years ago and it was an outlier.. my first mortgage in 88 was 10.5% and that was normal back then, and people forget during the late Carter early Reagan years the interest rates were 15% or more on anything..

 

[NIsaacs]

I wonder if this is on the way too?

https://www.zf.com/public/org/Flyer_ZF-Transfer-Case-VG-750400_72365.pdf

#ad

 

[Diesel85]

I wonder if this is on the way too?

https://www.zf.com/public/org/Flyer_ZF-Transfer-Case-VG-750400_72365.pdf

#ad

I would love to have 4x4 AUTO mode in a 3500.

In fact, I think a lot of businesses that let the youngin's drive 4x4 trucks would appreciate it too.

Yes, we've had people hired at my job who thought 4x4 was meant to be kept on during the summer time dry roads towing thinking 4x4 = AWD. Then complain to others that the front end of their truck "hops" like a bunny rabbit when making turns.

 

[AH64ID]

I would much rather an AWD setting than an auto mode setting. I have yet to drive an auto mode transfer case that is even a fraction as good as a AWD transfer case.

I’d love to see something like the transfer case that’s in our 03 4Runner. It has 2-Hi, AWD-Hi, AWD-Lo, 4wd-Hi, and 4wd-lo. It’s a torsen style center differential with electronic locking ability.

 

[NIsaacs]

More rumors?

 

[Diesel85]

More rumors?

Interesting, when I have time today I'll watch the video.

Thanks @NIsaacs!

 

[Grumpy8811]

I would much rather an AWD setting than an auto mode setting. I have yet to drive an auto mode transfer case that is even a fraction as good as a AWD transfer case.

I’d love to see something like the transfer case that’s in our 03 4Runner. It has 2-Hi, AWD-Hi, AWD-Lo, 4wd-Hi, and 4wd-lo. It’s a torsen style center differential with electronic locking ability.

I'll give you some info... my brother is an engineer at Borg Warner.. and during one of our discussions he implied there was no R@D going on with tranferr cases at BW as it was legacy equipment at this point, and he also thought he would not be surprised if BW sold off transfer case production to a 3rd party and got out of the business as there was little in the way of product improvement that could be had.. most R@D now is going toward electric drive and not the standard car and truck drivetrain stuff.

 

[Ozymandias]

No way that ZF TC will find it's way in vehicle that small as a RAM. This is meant for Class 8 Vehicles.

Not to mention it is a vertical oriented TC.

 

[Diesel85]

I'll give you some info... my brother is an engineer at Borg Warner.. and during one of our discussions he implied there was no R@D going on with tranferr cases at BW as it was legacy equipment at this point, and he also thought he would not be surprised if BW sold off transfer case production to a 3rd party and got out of the business as there was little in the way of product improvement that could be had.. most R@D now is going toward electric drive and not the standard car and truck drivetrain stuff.

From what @NIsaacs posted, we might be getting away from the BW transfer cases. That above is a ZF transfer case. Would make sense to keep it from the same manufacturer to make it easier.

Still on the edge of my seat to see whats really in these trucks.

More so, I'm keeping an eye on all my hosted service manuals like AllData, Autel, and Chiltons to sit down and read the service manuals.

 

[NIsaacs]

No way that ZF TC will find it's way in vehicle that small as a RAM. This is meant for Class 8 Vehicles.

Did you read the link?

 

[Ozymandias]

Of course I did, only because you get the powerline transmission doesn't mean you get the whole drive line of a Semi.

 

[NIsaacs]

Of course I did, only because you get the powerline transmission doesn't mean you get the whole drive line of a Semi.

Okay then, did you comprehend the link?

 

[Ozymandias]

Did you?
That TC weighs almost 350lbs and has the output shafts inline and vertical.
How do you want to fit that into a pickup chassis?
That thing isn't meant for a car.

European Semi with 4/6/8 wheel drive run AWD TCs for decades and ZF built them for the same time.