Now Is a Great Time to Buy a New Ford Truck

Improving competition, fast-changing models, and big profits all add up to a booming buyer’s market.

For consumers in the market for a new truck, striking at the right time can either save (or cost) thousands. Most know that buying any vehicle at the end of a model year often brings big savings. And with 2018 F-150s hitting dealer lots, that means discounts on 2017 Ford truck models are quite attractive at the moment. But what you may not know is that new offerings from both Chevy and Dodge are only going to sweeten that pot.

Chevy just pulled the covers off the 2019 Silverado, and Dodge is likewise preparing a new Ram. Both seem destined for January’s Detroit Auto Show, and a few months after, dealer lots. With annual U.S. truck sales hovering around $90 billion, the competition is getting fiercer by the day. Especially when you consider that the average profit per sale is roughly $10,000, versus $3,000 for passenger cars.

All of this has experts like Morningstar analyst David Whiston predicting one of the biggest full-size truck fights of all-time. “There will be a pickup war this year,” Whiston told Industry Week. “It will make a fiercely competitive market even more competitive than it has been.” So that’s obviously bad news for automakers, right? But it’s fantastic news for consumers, on the other hand.

For starters, Ford is already offering discounts averaging $4,135 on the F-150. And you can only expect that number to grow when the new Silverado and Ram hit dealer lots. Of course, this also means that Ford will continue to roll out more frequent improvements to its best-selling truck, another win-win for consumers.

“It’s like vegetables — the fresher they are, the faster they sell,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s product development chief.. “Any time there are new products, certainly the marketplace gets more competitive. We’re not going to rest on our laurels. We’re going to do what’s required to keep winning.”

All of which means that what is already a buyer’s market is about to get even more favorable.

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.