re: Are dealerships still charging above MSRP?

I bought a truck Jan 2021. At that time, the squeeze was just getting started. I had been wanting to buy for a while as my other vehicle was no longer dependable. I had been waiting and waiting for EOY inventory liquidations which never came.

I found a vehicle that I could live with (base model F150 xlt crew cab), no bells and whistles.

I went to the dealership and told them I wanted to pay 32k for the vehicle...They did lower their price to 32k but hid some costs. I agreed to finance with them because I knew they would get a cut of the financing.

Today same truck (newer year model is 50k starting price)

I paid the truck off in 6 months.

If I tried to do that today (tell them what I was willing to pay), I would get laughed off the lot.