Ed,
I don't winter in FL, but wish I could! I drove down to visit relatives over Christmas, and picked up the trailer at that time. Bates was the least expensive dealer I could find - around $4,000 less than in the upper Midwest.
I bought some "universal" mirrors that strap on with rubber straps. They do the job, but vibrate. I have not found anything better for my 2002 Ford Explorer.
Bates is a REALLY hokey place. Read the article that "femuse" posted. Also look at
www.batesrv.com, see the section on Frank Bates - like how he "began developing an empire" (if you call a dumpy RV lot, officed in rental trailers and service bays in shacks, an "empire").
My experience in summary:
1. I originally called Bates in November about a new left-over 2002, which they said was in-stock. I immediately drove over from Orlando to see it... but it was gone, had been "sold", and was out to be "washed". I asked for directions to the car wash so I could see the unit... they didn't know where it was. Screw-up or bait-and-switch? The latter.
2. They had a 2003 for "only a little more", which I ended up buying (still a reasonable price, just more than I planned).
3. I arranged to pick up the trailer in December (my next FL visit). I expected to be fleeced - so in advance I purchased and installed a Prodigy brake controller, the Equal-i-zer hitch, mirror extensions, and brought tools - to minimize my exposure, a strategy that mostly worked. The purchase involved a couple "mystery fees" that likely gave Bates a couple hundred extra dollars for gas in his Robinson R22 helicopter. Overall the delivery process was uneventfull.
4. When winterizing the trailer for the trip north, even though I had never used the bathroom, I found the black water tank was filled with $hit! Apparently someone at Bates was using it as their port-a-potty, or the employees were using it for weekend trips... Not a great customer experience to have it dump all over the driveway!
Overall, I'm not complaining... I got a cheap price, and got what I paid for in terms of customer experience.