Skyline, Fuqua, Palm Harbor

[Tanya]

The more I research the more questions I have! OK, I was persuaded in the earlier thread that Palm Harbor is a better choice than Fleetwood. Then today we visited a dealership with some Skyline models. The construction aspect seemed to be top notch from the few questions I remembered to ask. The homes were airier than Palm Harbor, though didn't exactly fall in love with a model. Then I asked the salesman how Skyline compares to Palm Harbor, and he said "There's no comparison". Of course, he neglected to elaborate and explain why it was so much better... but oh well.

Anyway, then we went to the Fuqua website and oh my lord, the pictures look beautiful!!! (yes, I'm a sucker for "eye-candy"). But there are no dealerships around here, which would probably mean ordering from another state and all the headaches.

Anyone know the closest Fuqua dealership to Las Vegas?

And, Skyline and Fuqua seem to be more expensive, are they worth the extra money over Palm Harbor?

[lacey]

according to consumer reports (1998, i think), they reported that solitaire had the lowest incident of customer complaints in texas. it was a very small number, like 0.8%. i have heard that texas is the number 1 state in terms of mfg home sales--so if that's true, such a small percentage is a significant positive.

i liked palm harbor, but finally gave up on them. the salesperson i was working with just made it too difficult for me. he didn't know the answer to my questions, so gave me the factory phone number to call and ask myself. then i only wanted to look at floorplans of tape and textured homes, but he couldn't tell me which ones (out of the square footage i was interested in) were tape and texture. i would have to pick out a floorplan on the internet and call him and ask. if he would have just helped me out a little bit, i probably would buy one from him. (we are now down to buying a home during the next 6 months).

do a search of this site by putting in the word "fuqua" & see what comes up. i've never read anything but positive things about that company.

good luck.

[rmurray]

To bad you ran across the worst sales person in the Palm Harbor system...PH has hundreds of sales persons..and like any large organization there probably are a few who who need to go...this one included..

Did you ever ask to talk to the sales manager or general manager of the store you were in?....Did you try another PH store???..I am sure the GM would have been happy to help..Try again..

Unfortunately for the industry it has been tough for the last few years...some of the newer salespersons need much more training...form a customer stand point..I do not fault you at all for your feelings...It is good for the industry to have informed consumers like you..

Good Luck in your quest..

[jgn]

The Fuquahomes.com site in Oregon lists that they sell in Nevada so you might want to check their web site. They are a nice home and are upper end with five different styles of homes and I assume five different price points. You might want to look at Karstan as well. They have a plant in New Mexico and a dealer in Fallon, NV (wherever that is) . Again they are an upper level home but very nice and good construction with a lot of eye candy..
Palm Harbor is a good home and if you like them, find another dealer or another salesperson. I spoke with one and we just didn't click so I asked for another sales person who still didn't know a lot but found out the answers to all my questions. Still haven't made a decision but I am not in any hurry.

[Tanya]

Well, I found out today that Fuqua won't deal with Southern Nevada, they won't honor the warranty that far away. So much for Fuqua.

Our experience with our Palm Harbor rep so far has been positive.

Skyline vs. Palm Harbor????

I will definitely check out Karsten Homes. Thank you.

[Gail]

We too are looking at mfg homes and have been impressed with Karstan. They do have a dealer in Fort Mohave, AZ which is across the river from Laughlin, NV and down the road about 10 miles from Bullhead City, AZ. We have found them to be very nice and they have 5-6 models at all price ranges to check out. We are about 110 miles from Las Vegas; just a nice 1 1/2 hr drive from LV. This is our choice - so far. You can go to their website and see models and floor plans.

[Robert Ladig]

My wife and I are 60 and looking to find a nice manufactured home. We have looked at Fleetwood, Skyline, and Karstan. From a book I bought detailing what to look for and the best builders, only Karstan is a SUPERIOR builder. Both Fleetwood and Skyline are considered average. Another thing I just found out was Karstan is now guarenteeing their structures for ten years. You get the standard we will fix everything the first year, which all manufactures seem to offer. This really says something about their commitment to their building manufactured homes. Fuqua has a 5 year warrantee. Go for the eye candy Second. First is the structural makeup and the amount of insulation offered.