Soaring US car prices compel buyers to travel thousands of miles for deals

theguardian.com:

After an auto dealer demanded $10,000 above sticker price for a new hybrid vehicle, car shopper Michael Rathjen of Kirkland, Washington, resolved to pay no more than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the vehicle of his choice. He never dreamed his quest would take him eight months and 3,000 miles from home.

“I’m calling across the entire country. I’m thinking this is not going to be possible. I’m not going to find a dealer selling at MSRP,” recalled Rathjen, a technical writer. “I kept calling further and further away until I hit Vermont.”

In early May, Rathjen flew to Burlington, Vermont, to pick up his new Toyota RAV4 Prime, paid $51,000 for the fully equipped premium model, then immediately turned around and drove it cross-country to bring it home. The drive took eight days, with some stops to see sights and friends.

Near-record low inventory levels, supply chain backups and production delays do not fully capture the monumental challenge confronting consumers seeking to buy a popular new car, light truck or SUV without being gouged by profiteering dealers. Determined shoppers who want to pay sticker price in today’s market must rely upon a reservoir of persistence and patience, and, in some cases, travel hundreds, even thousands of miles. Even so, shoppers like Rathjen are happy to do so. “I felt very lucky to get exactly what I wanted, and at MSRP,” he said.

This is the state of today’s motor vehicle market.

“Right now, if it’s the right vehicle there’s no limit in how far people will go,” said Ryan Denecker, sales director at Heritage Automotive Group, which operates Toyota and Ford dealerships in Burlington and is holding to its policy of selling vehicles at or below sticker price. His dealership has