Ram Vehicles

New, Used, or CPO? What Should Your Next Vehicle Be

So, the time has come to buy a vehicle. As you likely know, this is a time of research and getting each question you have answered. If you find the process of buying an automobile simple and non-strenuous, just remember that you’re the exception in this case, and the average shopper will have plenty of questions during this time. If you identify as the average shopper, remember that dealerships such as ours are well equipped to make the shopping process as stress-free as possible. Research is an inevitable part of vehicle shopping, and this is true for all types of vehicles, especially pickup trucks. Today we’d like to take a closer look at Ram vehicles.

The question that we’d like to answer today is whether you should buy a new, used, or CPO Ram 1500. This question doesn’t have one clear-cut answer, and in many ways, all three options are equally as beneficial. There are several differences between each of these, however, so let’s start with new vehicles and discuss the advantages that this can bring.

Shopping for a New Vehicle

Shopping for a brand new vehicle is the dream for many shoppers, and this is because being the first owner of an automobile is a momentous occasion. Every automobile in the used market has had at least one previous owner; that much is guaranteed. However, you will get the quintessential Ram 1500 experience that the manufacturer intended with a brand new vehicle, and any miles that appear on the odometer will be your own doing. Additionally, with no previous owners, this means that you won’t find any signs of cosmetic damage, both inside and outside of the vehicle.

Another advantage that brand new Ram 1500s have is manufacturer warranties. As we’ll get into later, CPO vehicles boast a similar thing, but your average pre-owned vehicle is unlikely to have any warranty unless specifically noted. These warranties that come with new vehicles are usually good for at least a few years or when you pass the mileage limit that the warranty allows for. In some cases, certain manufacturers go above and beyond, and some warranties can be good for upwards of ten years. We’ve been seeing this happen more frequently as hybrid and electric models become more popular, as these warranties for battery servicing are typically more generous than your average powertrain. The Ram 1500 comes with a list of warranties, including a Limited Vehicle Warranty of 3 years/36,000 miles.

Warranties that will usually come alongside a brand new vehicle include a Limited Powertrain Warranty, and these are in place to protect you against any malfunctions that are related to your vehicle’s main operations. In simpler terms, if any unforeseen problem were to arise with your engine, transmission, wheel axles, and more, then you should have coverage for a repair job by the manufacturer. Another warranty that you can expect to see with a new vehicle is a Bumper to Bumper warranty. As the name implies, this adds coverage to a plethora of vehicle parts that aren’t covered under the Limited Powertrain Warranty. It’s always a good idea to have both warranties, and most new vehicles should.

There’s a significant disadvantage to purchasing a new Ram 1500 that we must discuss, and that’s vehicle depreciation. This is something that affects every facet of industry on a worldwide scale, but for automobiles, it’s sometimes more egregious than others. Depreciation is when a brand new product, whether it be an automobile, or even a toaster, will lose value after it has been purchased for the first time. So, the trade-off of buying new is that your vehicle will depreciate faster than if it was used because you start using up the most value first.

Purchasing a Used Vehicle

There are likely to be more people who have purchased a used vehicle in their life than a new one, and that’s for good reason as they can be the cheapest and most accessible way to acquire a vehicle. Used vehicles are aplenty, and there will always be more vehicles on the used market than on the new one, and there’s an extraordinary amount of variation in the type of vehicle that you can buy. The Ram 1500 can be found on the used market, with models going back for many years. First-time drivers are better off purchasing a used vehicle because they are cheaper to purchase, and if you purchase your vehicle from a reliable source, then taking care of it shouldn’t be an issue either. This is why we recommend purchasing a used vehicle from a dealership, so you know you are getting a reliable vehicle that isn’t going to break down on you after a week of driving it.

With no limits on where you can purchase your vehicle, this does raise awareness of a specific issue, and that’s the condition of the vehicle and its history. For example, a new vehicle doesn’t require any history report for obvious reasons, and CPO vehicles are sold alongside a detailed history report, but used vehicles may or may not have such a thing. Purchasing your vehicle from a private seller isn’t always bad, but it’s certainly not as reliable as a dealership. A good dealership will share the vehicle history of a used model with you, so you know what to expect.

CPO Vehicles

Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) Ram 1500s are an excellent choice for customers who don’t want to spend money on the high price of new vehicles but would also like some of the advantages that new vehicles have. Most importantly, CPO Rams come with a variety of warranties from the manufacturer, and this usually includes the likes of a powertrain warranty, bumper-to-bumper warranty, etc. These vehicles are also sold alongside a CarFax report so that you can get all of the info about each model.

To become a CPO vehicle, the automobile must have a clean record, be less than five years since its launch, and each one has undergone a heavily detailed inspection process. It must also have less than 75,000 miles on it. The only downside, however, to purchasing one of these automobiles is that they tend to be pricier than a regular pre-owned vehicle, albeit cheaper than a new model. Ram 1500s are perfect for CPO for a variety of reasons, including the peace of mind of a fully stable and articulately inspected automobile, which is important for a pickup truck as you don’t want to cut any corners when towing.

What Should You Buy?

After all of the info that we had to give on new, used, and CPO vehicles, you should have a better understanding of which way you want to go. Simply put, there are reasons why some drivers should consider a new vehicle and why some should consider any of the alternatives, so find the option that works best for you. In the end, the condition in which you purchased your vehicle isn’t what’s important, but maintaining a smooth and safe ride most certainly is. That’s why we recommend getting a Ram 1500 no matter what condition it is in. New, used, or CPO, the Ram 1500 will be a reliable truck for many miles to come.