What discount to expect on special-ordered truck?

You might want to do a little research as to the height of a RWD to a 4 wheel drive. My 2020 Chevrolet 2500HD is the same height as a 4 wheel drive. I had lower my last 2008 Chevrolet 2500HD 2" in the rear. The top of my bed rail is 5" higher than my old truck. My leafsprings on my 5th wheel already set on top of my axles, so I went to Trailerblocks.com and bought 3" blocks to raise my trailer up so it sits more level when pulling with new truck. My buddy has a 2010 F350 with a 3 1/2" lift kit, my bed rail is 1" higher than his bed rail.

Any time $10,000 off msrp. Certain times of year $15,000 off msrp.

Go to Edmunds and price out/spec the truck you want. They are really good and close to what a dealer will tell you. This will give you a good idea as to what you should pay for it.

Last 2 trucks I purchased were via Fleet Sales Internet
Ordered the trucks the way I wanted them and negotiated out the door price with a Fleet Manager......trucks were delivered to local dealer

1st time I walked into the Dealers was after they called and said truck was here.

Both trucks were heavily discounted
1st one was $25K out the door for a $40K 2001 (private party sale after new 2007 was delivered)

2nd one was $39K out the door for a $60K 2007

If I were to purchase new one again....Internet and Fleet Sales

Always off invoice and never from MSRP. You can find MSRP and invoice pricing on web sites such as nada.com, edmunds.com. kbb.com, etc. Go on one of these and build the truck you want, print that out, with the MSRP and invoice pricing shown, and show that to your dealer. The dealer can sell for the invoice price and still make some profit as there is a thing called dealer holdback that is money the manufacturer gives to the dealer. Some dealers will order one for you for the invoice price. Some for a few hundred over. And check to see if the manufacturer is offering any rebates. That should come off the negotiated price above. Shop around. Different dealers will make different offers.

And the best times to buy are the last day of a month, the last day of a quarter, and best of all, the last day of the year. Dealer is trying to make monthly, quarterly, and yearly sales quotas for extra compensation from the manufacturer.

When sitting down with the sales manager or whoever will actually be filling out what you want you need to make clear to them that before committing to the purchase, you need to have a financial deal in place. Too many things can go wrong between the time of the order and you actually seeing the truck at the dealer. Never commit at the time of ordering. I'm not sure if an invoice is available right then or if you have to wait for the truck to be delivered but certain things aren't negotiable like destination fees but a lot is. Always work off the invoice, not the MSRP. So many people want dealers to take money off the MSRP when they should always be working off the invoice and dealers are happy to share that with you. When I negotiated for my new truck, it was the first thing I asked. Please show me the invoice. Then negotiate to get to an agreed upon purchase price. One thing that stands out that you shouldn't pay for is the Dealer IMR contribution and the LMA group contribution. Since the truck is a special order just for you, there's no need to pay those advertising costs. I would walk away if the dealer insisted on it. You also are entitled to any incentives that might be in place at the time. How willing the dealer is to give a fair deal, a good deal or a great deal depends on a lot of variables. Best of luck to you!

search the net for the truck you want. then go get it.

I would innocently browse the lot and see what discounts are given on existing inventory. Then let them know that nothing on the lot has the options you are looking for and ask for similar discount on what you want. Of course a lower optioned truck has less wiggle room to discount. Just see where it goes. Fully expect to walk away and think about it.

Any friend who work for Ford ? Possibly get X-Plan.

Depending on the truck, the one I bought was in high demand so your experience may vary. Bought mine brand new from a friend who is the sales manager at a Ford Dealership. I got about $5k off MSRP and most of that was incentives. Covid has slowed production on vehicles and RV's, both in high demand right now. High demand, low supply = less negotiating room.