Wow...what an amazing "take delivery" journey! Here goes...
I put down deposits at 2 dealerships in northern Utah in early March. Both were for Trail Dust LC trim level with as few options as possible (to leave room for me to make some modifications). One dealer, charging MRSP, had me at #125. The second, asking $5,000 over MRSP (which they knew I wouldn't pay) had me at #40. At the time, I was told it would be 12 or even up to 24 months before they got down to me.
In early July, the MSRP dealer notified me that they had an uncommitted Heritage Blue due to arrive in Salt Lake City by mid-September. I was about 55% Trail Dust - 45% Heritage Blue, so was excited to put my name on the vehicle and started the long wait.
With an LC on the way, I put my 2021 4Runner TRD Pro up for sale. Needless to say, it sold quickly and at $2,000 more than I paid for it when new! So...here I was with no vehicle and my wife said she wouldn't haul me hither and yon for my desert therapy adventures hiking and mountain biking.
So, that same night I did a 500-mile radius search on Toyota's website and found a Trail Dust LC Trim, exactly what I was looking for in Las Vegas, actually an hour closer than my SLC dealer! The dealership was open until 10 pm, so I haggled with the sales person and eventually got the price down to what I would have paid in Salt Lake. I had my son-in-law drive me to Las Vegas early the next morning and picked it up!
So far, I'm loving it! I did get a "hybrid system failure" warning light but it disappeared overnight. Other than that, everything's perfect. It feels more "settled" than the 4Runner and was much more pleasant to drive on the highway. The interior feels comparatively refined and the interior noise was much quieter than my TRD Pro.
I feel lucky to have this all work out so quickly!