Is it still hard to buy a new Sienna? I want to get one in April and am wondering if I should go ahead and start looking now.

Go out of state, there's tons of dealerships when 300 miles of DC.

I would call around to Toyota dealers- they definitely are not really going through the lists. I got on waitlists for a bunch of local dealers over a year and a half ago and never got a call so ended up buying out of state about a year ago. Have still never gotten calls from any of those dealers I was on the waitlist for and a friend has since been able to buy a Sienna (I think a month ago) by calling dealers. Each had maybe one or two in stock so not much selection but he was able to get one without getting on the waitlist.

OP here. Thanks for comments. I am looking for alternatives like a used Highlander.

I just finished minivan shopping. I had been on a waiting list for a Toyota Sienna since June and gave up waiting and bought an Odyssey. I think I got one call during that time, but it was for a trim level that I wasn't interested in. If you're really set on a Sienna, if you do some searching, you can find spreadsheets showing allocations being delivered to Toyota dealers. I'd guess the only way to get one quickly would be to call lots of dealers, including dealers outside your area, and be willing to pay a markup over MSRP.

Sure you can sign a lease and then buy it out. But that's the same inventory as just buying a car.

Your issue is you want a very specific model of a hard to find car (Sienna Hybrid). Broaden your horizons and you'll be fine.

But a regular car.

We fairly urgently need to replace our old Sienna minivan as it needs fairly substantial repairs. However, I have just been told the wait time for a new one is 8-15 months. I am open to other makes and models but it sounds like the wait for hybrids is particularly long. Any ideas on how to get around this? Is buying out of state an option (but imagine the constraint isn't due to state but overall supply). Can we buy on lease and then convert?