Optima - Leveling and stereo

[pskkd930]

My wife and I have been looking at hot tubs for a while now and we really like the Optima(although we have not been able to wet test yet).  I just really want something for my back and I love the idea of foot jets.  Even though we live in Atlanta, we seem to be at least 50 minutes from any good dealers so it makes it tough.

I've been to two Sundance dealers, one of them I really liked, and the other I will not go back to.  I was hoping to wet test at the second dealer, but she informed me she had to go take care of her dog and would like for me to come back on a weekday(we were the only one's in the store)...even though I informed her we lived 50 minutes away.  She was also more expensive and said she would not negotiate so she's done.  The other dealer seems very informed and seems like he wants to do whatever it takes to make us happy.

We've been quoted 11,500 for w/o stereo and 12,500 with based on the current special going on.  That includes steps, cover, and lifter.  Seems a bit high to me from what I've read on here, but like I said, the other dealer was even higher.

My wife really likes the stereo, but I have my reservations based on what I've read here.  I don't want something that breaks after two years and is never used again.  I just can't decide if it's worth it.  The dealer said they had a lot of issues in the 2009 - 2011, but they are now using a different head unit and haven't had anywhere near the amount of issues.  Thoughts?

The other thing I'm not sure of is the dealer we like said we can't have more than a 3/4 in drop across the entire hot tub.  That seems really low to me.  Our patio is attached to the house and has about an 1 1/4 drop for drainage.  The dealer is quoting us $450 to build a platform to level out the tub and I'm not sure how much I should argue that point. 

Any help is greatly appreciated

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

unfortunately just because you saw a price quoted somewhere on here doesn't mean that is what you can get in your area...dealers could care less that someone 1500 miles away bought an Optima for $1,000 cheaper...regardless of what people think 98% of dealers out there are not attempting to "screw" anyone here, they set margins based on what they need to make in order to keep their doors open and put food on the table...with that said you should absolutely do your due diligence and negotiate to the best of your ability, nothing wrong with attempting to get someone's "best price"

re: the stereo, new style control head or not, stereo in a spa is like being in vegas throwing $100 on the roll of a dice, water + snow + extreme cold and heat (depending where u live) + electronics rarely mix well...not saying they can't or won't last, but don't be surprised if you are replacing some or all of the components of that stereo in a short period of time and that is why 99% of the time electronics like stereo's only carry a 1 year max warranty.

re: leveling...not saying you have to pay them to do it, but make sure you level the spa based on their requirements, some spas esp. bigger models like Hot Springs Grandee for example which is 500 gal is recommended to not be "shimmed" in any way due to the massive weight once filled.  Some manufacturers will even void warranty if certain models were shimmed so just be aware of things like that...I personally have no idea what Sundance's policy regarding shimming or leveling is so that would be a question for the dealer