Most of the replys you get on here will be from dealers so keep in mind that they will often sell a spa for around that same "retail" price or may come on and say "You are getting a good price, we sell it for $12,000" but the reality is that you may well be able to get it for less. In the past, the "sweet spot" for Hot Tubs like the Optima was between $7,200 and $8,500 and due to the economy, it SHOULD still be around that price tag. Now, some dealers will come on here and "piss and moan" that they could "NEVER sell one that cheaply" but the reality is that they CHOOSE not to sell it that low as they have profit margins they need to protect to stay in business. The larger the store, the more units they can run through and the less profit the "HAVE" to have on each unit. So, with that in mind, I would say to offer the guy $9K for it with the knowledge that you may still be over-paying. Then be prepared to walk away if he doesn't come down in price. Tell him you are shopping other equivalent products and $9K is the MAX you are willing to spend for THIS PARTICULAR spa. Make certain he realizes that he can not "talk you down" to a low-priced model but has to deal on the OPTIMA ONLY.
It's sad but in the end buying a Hot Tub is VERY similar to buying a car. You HAVE to negotiate to get the best price. When I was looking, you could get an Optima (or it's lounger equivalent Cameo) for $7K without too much problems so a $2K increase over 5 years is about a 7% year-over-year increase. How would you like to get a 7% increase in your salary every year?
