Dealer is 550 miles away!

[Chas]

Hi All,
I'm replacing my south florida home that was damaged by Francis and am looking for a quality replacement.
I have spoken with two Jacobsen dealers and also Palm Harbor and Homes of Merrit.
They all seem to have the same attitude that they are very busy, have long lines of buyers, and the wait for a home from the factory is several months or more. They have all made me feel that I need them much more then they need me and that they would be doing me a favor by getting one for me even at full retail price.
I started digging deeper into different manufacturers that are available to me and came accross Patriot Homes of Alabama.
They seem to make a quality home with standard features that are either upgrades on the others or not available at all, and that I could get a factory ordered one in as little as six weeks.
The main problem is that there is only one Patriot dealer in my state and they are 550 miles away!
Other problems I thought of is the setup being contracted out to someone who may not know Patriot well and the possible difficulty of warrenty repairs.
Is it a bad move to buy from a daeler so far away? Are there any other main concerns?
Any help or tips would be appreciated.

Chas

[rmurray]

A factories backlog can tell you a lot...short backlogs are at plants with low sales..low sales are usually because the product is not so desireable..

Buying from a manufacturer AND dealer over 500 miles away..would be like buying from a dealer..AS IS..there is NO WAY the plant of the dealer can service your account...

The other manufacturers you mentioned..all of them are among the best in the nation..each of them are represented by many dealers through the state and there will be some homes available out of inventory...All of these plants are in central Florida where they can service your home when needed..If you have to order to suit your needs...all of these plants are out about 2 months..maybe as long as 3 months...A few days of aggravation and inconvenience are minor for a lifetime of comfort and pleasure..If the saleperson you talked to were not decent..try others..

I would chose one of the three you mentioned and wait..

[trmimo]

If you live in wind zone 3, Patriot may not even be an option for you.
Most, if not all Patriot models are limited to zone II construction, that coupled with high freight make Patriot impracticle in south Florida.
Palm Harbor is probably the best home available in south Florida, but I believe that you would be happy with any of the three you listed.
Sounds like the real problem is you found some bad retailers.
A good retailer is helpful and knows how important you are even if they are busy. And trust me, they are not that busy. Even if the lead time from the factory is long, that does not mean that the people at the sales center don't have time to help customers.
I've posted before that with Palm Harbor you should stick to factory stores. Florida is the exception. Palm Harbor still has some excellent independant retailers in Florida.

[Chas]

Thanks for the feedback.
The reason I liked Patriot is that with their pinnicle series, standard features included 3/4" T&G (not avail w/Jacobsen at all), 8' flat ceilings, 5/12 roof pitch, T&T walls, ceiling a/c registers (option), high insulation values, and wind zone III is available.
Some of these features are not avail with the other brands at any price.
I think the reason my "local" manufacturers are backlogged is the number of stormes we had in south and central florida this year. This patriot dealer is northern florida and is not experiencing the same "rush".
I think if patriot had dealers in my area, their backlog would be the same.
I guess there is no utopia.
Thanks again,
Chas

[Ferne]

What is the wind zone? I figure it's self explanatory however, I'd like to know what the one in Myrtle Beach would be and how does it affect the price of a new MH?

[rmurray]

Most of the area in Mytle Beach is wind zone 2 (mostly from I-95 to the coast)...but areas very close to the coast will be wind zone 3...

West of I-95 probably will only require wind zone 1...Zone 2 will cost about $3000 more...zone 3 another $1500 or so...

Check with the building inspector in your county about you specific property..