Used Tub options...need advice.

[Nikmav]

My husband and I are in the market for a hot tub. We have never owned on before and the information we are gathering is becoming overwhelming. To be honest we had no idea in order to get a good tub we we have to pay anywhere from $5-$8k(possibly $10K). I just can't stomach the idea of paying $10K for a tub.  We are trying to keep the cost low so we have looked into used tubs. We have found a couple good options and I am looking for some input on them.

One is a 2010 Hot springs Limelight Pulse for $4500. The owner says it is in mint/new condition. The water has been tested weekly by the company he buys his chemicals from. It has been kept under a pergola and not in direct sunlight. He has never had to make any repairs on it. It does not have the ACE system. It comes with cover, cover lift, steps, and chemicals.

Another used option is a 2007 Hot Springs Highlife Envoy for $4500. Owner claims great condition. Not used much and thus want to get rid of it. Comes with cover, steps and chemicals. Routine preventative maint. has been done and no repairs have had to be done.

A third option is a 2008 Bullfrog 562 model for $2750 (says price is negotiable).  It is in great condition. 

I hae to travel a bit of a distance to see any of these and before I do so I wanted to get some input from people her as to what they think about these tubs and the prices.

 I know the Envoy is a more expensive and bigger model. But I am struggling with buying something that is more than 5 years old. I also think the $4500 price is a bit too high for something that old

As for the Pulse. I like the fact that it is only a 2010. It looks REALLY nice in pics.  I don't know that we can talk the guy down much. He has already said he can't take less. I somewhat think his price is good but I am going to try to get him to $4000.

I feel the Bullfrog is a great price but then again it is a 2008.  The pictures of it look great.

We have not done any wet tests.  Honestly, if I were buying a new tub for $10K and not trying to narrow my options based on used availability I would be more inclined to wet test. 

Any thoughts here?

I have also looked at some cheaper new tubs.  The only thing I have seen in a price range that I am willing to consider is Vita Prestige for $6k. I know if is a lesser tub than the Hot Springs but that is about as high as we can go for a new tub. Any other recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks for your help..

[brillskill]

take a look at nordic tubs

[Hottubguy]

$4500 for a 2007 tub is too high.  I think the pulse is a fairly good deal if the cover and tubb are both in great shape.  The pulse is a very nice tub.  Don't know much about Bullfrog as they are not very popular where I'm from but they do have a good name so for $2700 it might be worth checking out.  I'm not sure if that's one of there better tubs or not hopefully a bullfrog guy will chime in on that particular model

[Chiadrum]

We got a Grandee that was a delivered in 09 for 4k as far as the Hot Spring goes,and we really love it so far.The quality of the massage is incredible and I don't think there is anything out there to rival the Moto Massage-which of course can be expensive to repair down the road.
The prevailing wisdom trolling the forums is that the Bullfrog is a step below the Hot Springs of the world but I wet tested a 562 and thought it was awesome,maybe my favorite.
With the simplicity of the Bullfrog design I just don't see a lot of issues that can come up and you can't really find bad owner reviews on the Bullfrog anywhere.
That being said one thing about the Bullfrog is that you don't get nearly the power and vigorous massage that the other tubs can deliver.When wet testing I didn't think that was too important but now that we have our Grandee I am running that sucker pretty much full blast all the time-something to consider.Bullfrogs take on that is that they design their tubs to be soaked in for hours with no itch etc.Not sure if I buy that.I think the lack of vigorous power is more of a by-product of the jet pack system.
If I could have found a Bullfrog for that price,I would have jumped.I couldn't find a used one within 200 miles of us.
Good luck,let us know what happens.

[Sam]

We got a Grandee that was a delivered in 09 for 4k as far as the Hot Spring goes,and we really love it so far.The quality of the massage is incredible and I don't think there is anything out there to rival the Moto Massage-which of course can be expensive to repair down the road.
The prevailing wisdom trolling the forums is that the Bullfrog is a step below the Hot Springs of the world but I wet tested a 562 and thought it was awesome,maybe my favorite.
With the simplicity of the Bullfrog design I just don't see a lot of issues that can come up and you can't really find bad owner reviews on the Bullfrog anywhere.
That being said one thing about the Bullfrog is that you don't get nearly the power and vigorous massage that the other tubs can deliver.When wet testing I didn't think that was too important but now that we have our Grandee I am running that sucker pretty much full blast all the time-something to consider.Bullfrogs take on that is that they design their tubs to be soaked in for hours with no itch etc.Not sure if I buy that.I think the lack of vigorous power is more of a by-product of the jet pack system.
If I could have found a Bullfrog for that price,I would have jumped.I couldn't find a used one within 200 miles of us.
Good luck,let us know what happens.

I don't want to be negative, but whatever Bullfrog dealer you talked to doesn't understand their product.  The JetPak design allows you to get great pressure out of all the seats running at the same time.  There are no diverter valves.  They are one of the only hot tubs that don't use them and still allow you to get great pressure.  The only thing that I can think of to explain your situation is not an issue anymore.  They used to allow you to pick the motor size to match the gpm of the jetpaks that you chose.  If you picked high flow jetpaks but didn't pick the larger motor, the pressure would be sacrificed.  To avoid this confusion, we always put the larger motor in everyone's spa at my store.  I regularly talk to my customer's who have other brands prior to their Bullfrog and they always say how amazing the jet pressure is compared to their older one.

It's a simple matter of physics.  A Bullfrog has about 100 feet of plumbing compared to the 4-700 feet in most high-end tubs.  The more plumbing, the more friction, hence less pressure.  You can demonstrate this by hooking up a 10' garden hose to your spigot and comparing the pressure when hooking up a 100' hose.  You will notice a very significant drop in pressure with the 100 foot hose.  I just soaked in a Bullfrog the other day.  I had every single jet turned on at the same time.  I sat in front of a powerful jetpak for 20 minutes and it beat me up.  Amazing pressure.


I know that I am biased, but I will take a Bullfrog over any other tub out there at the same price.  I have sold many of the other major brands, and while there are many great tubs, I don't think anything compares to the revolutionary design of Bullfrog.  That being said, the other tubs that you are looking at are certainly top quality and great choices.  I will agree with Hottubguy that the $4500 for a 2007 is a little high, though. 

The 562 is a great tub that sold new for about $10k.  I think that is a good deal and would jump on it in a heart beat.  The limelight is a great tub as well and that price seems to be fair for it.  Knowing that the company has done the maintenance is nice.  Some people do not maintain their hot tubs well.  This would be a concern of mine buying a used tub.

Good luck!

[Nikmav]

Thanks for the replies.  We were going to go with the BullFrog but it ended up being a logistical nightmare since it was in GA and we are in NC(6 hours away).  Not to mention we were not able to see it in person before committing to it.  So we are going with the Hot Springs.  The tub is in immaculate condition.  If it was on the showroom floor you would never be able to tell it was a 2010.  So I think we made a good choice. 

I am sure I will be back in the near future asking for advice on how to maintain the unit. 

Nikki

[Chiadrum]

Sounds like a very good deal.Ours has been awesome so far.You should enjoy it thoroughly.
Try and get the electrical whip and if possible the box and breakers on the side of the house too.Expensive stuff.I couldn't get the panel and breakers included with ours and had to pay an electrician $500 to provide & install that stuff for us.I did get the electrical whip from the panel to the tub which did save money.
I would recommend doing a purge and a thorough filter cleaning off the bat.I would also find out if the unit is ozonator equipped and if so find out if it has been serviced.If it hasn't there are very easy to follow YouTube videos on that subject.Shouldn't need much more.I'm no expert yet actually a newb but soaking the filters overnight is a Vinegar/Water mixture seems to be a popular method.Vinegar is also recommended for the Ozonator cleaning.
Hope you enjoy yours as much as we are enjoying ours.You have to pry me out of that baby.I have barely missed a day so far.I am also about to convert to CareFree Spa cleaning products which noone on this forum seemed to have an opinion on.Supposedly all but eliminates the need for chemicals.My water has been pretty clean but we have been getting some substantiall foam and shocking quite often.Looking to get away from those problems.
We are in NC as well and used movers from Craigslist who were very good and much cheaper than hiring a dealer.We paid 350 and the dealer wanted 5-600.
Happy tubbing!

[Spatech_tuo]

Thanks for the replies.  We were going to go with the BullFrog but it ended up being a logistical nightmare since it was in GA and we are in NC(6 hours away).  Not to mention we were not able to see it in person before committing to it.  So we are going with the Hot Springs.  The tub is in immaculate condition.  If it was on the showroom floor you would never be able to tell it was a 2010.  So I think we made a good choice. 

I am sure I will be back in the near future asking for advice on how to maintain the unit. 

Nikki

I cringe when people buy used spas on faith/hope alone so you were smart because not being able to see it would have been a big leap of faith and unwise. Used spas can be a good deal but condition is everything and so is testing. Getting a quality made brand like Hot Springs and seeing it in operation ahead of time was the key so if its really as clean as you say then you're a step ahead and you've done your job. Good luck.

[Sam]

Sounds like you made a good choice.  Grats on the new tub!