Good tips. Thanks.

On the resale issue, I expect a decent aluminum clad would beat a vinyl
replacement window.
The clads typically go on high-end homes around here, as in "overlooks
championship golf course".
That's not the kind of house I have, by any stretch, so if anything,
I'm putting in a window too rich for the
neighborhood and won't get all the money back, I expect.

Interesting point about local fabricators, and I wouldn't let HD
install a doorbell, let alone a window.

I've heard a couple stories about rot on aluminum clad, particularly
with regard to Pella.
That, in fact, is what I was talking to the Marvin guy in Minnesota
about.
My reasoning was the aluminum cladding will be subject to the same
temperature gradient as the aluminum in my old solid aluminum windows.
That is, cold air outside, warm air inside = condensation. And the
condensation will be hidden inside the cladding where it will rot out
the wood and I'll never see it! His response, which I am inclined to
believe, absent a reason not to, is that the air on *both* sides of the
cladding is cold, so there should be no condensation. The air pocket
between the cladding and the wood window is not warm. Regardless, if
there is any rot, the windows have a 20 year guarantee.

If anyone can poke a hole in that reasoning, I'm all ears.