Ok…this is a long one, but I promise it will be worth it for L0 pre-order “victims”.
Caveat: This is solely my opinion based on observation, facts and some realistic assumptions. But, I’ve got a pretty good track record on this stuff.
Oberservation: Yesterday, I visited my local Ram dealer to see my 1st RHO in the flesh. It was an ordered L1 truck that was passed over by the original buyer as he did not care for the color (uh-huh). During my visit, at least a half dozen enthusiasts admired the truck and made positive comments. One asked if it was for sale. The answer was “We have a buyer making a deal with two individuals on stand-by if that buyer passes.” It was sold before I left.
Fact: Stellantis just had a disasterous earning call. Something like a 48% drop in profitability. Do you think they want to improve their profitability? Absolutely! Does an L1 RHO represent more revenue & profit to Stellantis? Very likely.
Fact: The vast majority of pre-orders have been L1. I would make an educated guess they have at least 2,000 L1 pre-orders waiting to be built or shipped. If an L1 buyer drops out, are they worried about selling that truck? Based on my previous observation, no.
Current discussion: Ram has told a dealer that L0 orders will be delayed, but no ETA or specific reason provided. Hmmmm…
Conclusion: Until Ram has a significant number of unsold L1 RHOs on the ground, L0 will remain an enigma. Let’s face it…if Ram was your business, would you waste time building a less profitable “L0 widget”, when you have a waiting list for your more profitable “L1 widget”?
How long will this take? 3 months, 6 months, 12 months? IDK. And, will Ram likely increase the price at some point in the future? Absolutely.
So, if you can wait an indefinite amount of time & you work too hard for your $$ to spend another $10K for stuff you don’t care about, wait it out & hold on to your pre-order pricing. Just keep in mind, if they don’t build any until 2026 model year (I sure hope that is not the case), you will likely be subject to 2026 L0 pricing.