If you sell your Ram truck within three to five years of first purchasing it, you are likely to recoup upwards of 50% of its value. That said, other factors besides time will impact what you can get if you put your Ram truck on the market. Your Ram’s condition, age, model year, and mileage will all affect how much your Ram truck is worth.
No doubt you’ve been through a lot with your Ram truck—hauling cargo, off-roading adventures, crushing smaller sedans, and whatnot. But if you’re ready to say goodbye to your badass pickup, you’ll need to figure out its resale value first.
While each vehicle will depreciate in its own unique way, a truism applies to every car or truck on the road—they begin to lose value the second you drive them off the lot. So, having a good idea of how much you’ll be able to get for your Ram truck will help you plan for your next rig.
If you aren’t sure how to figure out your Ram’s resale value, have no fear—Jerry
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What goes into determining my Ram’s resale value?
From crunching along snow-covered roads to roaring through desert vistas, no doubt you’ve been through a lot with your beloved Ram. While those memories will last a lifetime, you’ll be able to determine your Ram’s resale value by honing in on a few key metrics:
Depreciation: Your Ram truck depreciates the moment you drive off after buying it. Ram trucks, such as the Ram 1500
, tend to hold their value relatively decently—even if they experience a significant value drop after the first year of ownership (as most vehicles do) Mileage: Ideally, you want to put no more than 12,000 to 15,000 miles on your truck every year. If you run over 100,000 miles in your Ram truck, you’ll have a harder time getting the price you want on the resale market.
Accident history: Unfortunately, accidents are a part of life. If you are in an accident with your Ram truck, this will impact its resale value. Even a fully rebuilt Ram truck can expect to lose between 15% to 30% of its overall value following an accident.
Model popularity: Is your Ram in demand? If you’re driving a popular model like the 1500, odds are you’ll get close to what you want when selling it—so long as it's in good condition without too many miles on its chassis.
Interior and exterior condition: Even if you ran roughshod over various off-road environments in your Ram, how does it look? If all the dirt and mud can be washed away and both the interior and exterior can look close-to-new, this will help your resale prospects. Dents, dings, interior blemishes, and damage will impact your resale potential.
MORE: How to sell a car for the best price
Resale value vs. trade-in value
There are pros and cons to both resale and a trade-in, so we’ll go over both.
With a trade-in, your dealer will pay you for your used truck, but the money you get is almost always applied to a new vehicle at the dealership. Only rarely would a dealer write you a check for a trade-in.
If you want a bigger financial payout than what a trade-in brings, look at resale.Private sales usually bring in more money, but they're harder to pull off. With a trade-in, a dealer will tell you exactly what you need to do with your vehicle before they’ll work with you on a trade-in.
In a private sale, knowing how to prep your truck to make the most money is up to you. Prospective buyers will examine the truck closely, looking at its condition, mileage, age, and accident history. Follow top resale tips if you’re heading in that direction. If potential buyers have questions, they’ll be looking to you for answers!
What is the MSRP of my Ram?
Before you start rumbling down resale road or waltz into a dealership asking about a trade-in for your Ram, you’ll want to determine your truck's original manufacturer’s standard retail price when you bought it.
Lucky for you, Kelley Blue Book
provides a handy tool to help you figure this out. Key Takeaway When determining your Ram’s worth, you’ll need to consider many factors, including its original MSRP, its condition, its mileage, and its age.
How does wear and tear affect my Ram’s value?
A good thing to remember is that of all the factors affecting your truck’s value, your Ram’s condition is in your control.
Always remember to follow the Ram dealer’s recommended maintenance schedule to ensure your truck remains in tip-top shape. If a future buyer realizes they’ll need to take care of wear and tear costs, this will definitely impact what they’ll be willing to pay for your truck (if they end up buying it at all).
One thing to think about—for roughly every $5,000 you put into your vehicle for repairs, this will cut an estimated $2,500 off its resale value.
How to calculate the resale value of your car
Every Ram’s lifespan is different, but it's relatively easy to calculate your truck’s resale value. Consumer Reports
offers a great tool to help you determine the resale value of your truck. When figuring out your Ram’s resale value, you’ll first want to know its depreciated value. According to Car Edge, 2020 is the Ram model year that holds the most value—as much as 92% of its original value.
Here’s a real-time example to think about. Say you bought a 2020 Ram 1500 for $44,555. You drive it for three years with roughly 12,000 miles on it per year. It will still maintain about 83% of its value, meaning you’ll be able to recoup roughly $36,500 when reselling.
Remember, though, that your Ram truck’s resale value will be impacted by several factors, including its age, condition, mileage, and model year.
MORE: Trade-in vs private sale: What’s the best way to sell your car?
The bottom line: is my Ram worth reselling?
Once you’ve figured out your Ram truck’s MSRP, condition, mileage, and model year, you’ll be able to come up with a good estimate of how much you’ll be able to resell your truck for. So long as your Ram is in good shape, its odometer isn’t too overtaxed, is within three years of being new, and is a model that holds its value well (such as a Ram 1500), you should be able to recoup good value by reselling it.
If your Ram only meets one or two of the above criteria? You’ll want to take a good look at it and address any potential needs to make it attractive on the resale market.
How to prep your Ram for resale
If you’re going ahead with either a resale or a trade-in for your Ram, here are some tips to ensure you get the biggest payout possible:
Get your car detailed: A clean vehicle is an attractive vehicle, even for a rough-and-tumble ride such as the Ram. Get it detailed to wow any potential buyers and get them interested.
Get routine maintenance done: While sticking to your maintenance schedule is critical to maintaining a truck’s value, get it checked out before attempting to sell it. Get those fluids topped up, oil changed, tires rotated, and alignment balanced.
Gather all original parts: Locate and gather any keys, manuals, and gear you received with your truck when you purchased it new—and hand those over to its new owner.
Getting everything squared away with your Ram trick will give you the best chance to sell it at a price you’re satisfied with—not to mention making the buyer happy, as well.
Finding cheap Ram insurance
Once you’ve wished your Ram a final farewell, you’ll want to protect your new rig. Doing so with a robust car insurance
policy by using Jerry
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