Dealers around Seattle are "marking up" trucks, and others are "slashing" prices but whatever. Probably speaks more to the intelligence of the avg Seattle truck buyer than the overall market...
This place has always been about the worst spot in the country to buy a new vehicle.
You can option out a new High Country 1500 to over $70k, somehow, basically the same price as a Denali Duramax, for those with little wieners and big pocketbooks.
The OP's buddy's dealer is not in a hurry to sell any trucks, is the takeaway here.