Price Check - 2007 (or 2004) HotSpring Vanguard

[Tubber1111]

Hi,

Looking to see if this is a reasonable price for a refurb from a dealer.

Refurbished 2007 HotSpring Vanguard
Price - $4k
Includes - new HS cover (not lifter), new filters, new heater, new pump(s), 1 year parts and labor warranty.
May cost $100-200 to have it shipped to my house.  May be able to negotiate this as they offer free shipping within 30 miles of their store, and I'm about 50 miles away.

Have been looking for quite a while for used tubs, found a few but had hard time finding someone to ship.  One quote received was $900.

Thanks

[hottubdan]

We would sell it for more.

[Tubber1111]

Thanks for the information.

I took a trip to the dealer this morning to take a look at this tub as well as a used Prodigy they have.

When I asked the salesman what year the Vanguard was, he was not 100 % clear (or forthcoming), but said it was in the 06 or 07 era, as they had switched to the Pearl shell around that time.  I didn't press him too much about the year, as they mention that all refurbs get new pumps, heaters, filters, etc.  I did do a little research when I got home, reviewing the Hot Spring manuals, and noticed that the 2004 model had two single moto-massage jets, and then starting in 2005, one of those became a dual moto massage.  The unit I saw only had the two single units, so I'm guessing that this is a 2004 (or older) tub and not a 2007 as was originally described over the phone to me.  My question is, does this really matter that it's a few years older given the fact that major components have been replaced?  I will mention this to the salesman, but not sure if that will help save me a couple of bucks or not.  Salesman and owner seemed decent to me, no high pressure sales, and the owner even mentioned that there's a HS dealer closer to me, (their refurbs are priced way too high).

Also, while at the store, I saw a HS Prodigy of the same era that they were asking $3,500 for.  This appeals to me somewhat, as I prefer the cabinet color (lighter than the espresso colored Vanguard), and that I can hook this up to 110 V which I believe would save me some $$'s. I've seen the discussions regarding the voltage, so I'm pretty clear on the shortcomings of going the 110 route.  The Prodigy is only 33" deep, and I'm thinking this may not be deep enough given the height of my family members (all close or just over 6').

Thanks!

[Spoiledrotten]

Tubber1111, I might be wrong, and if I am someone will correct me, but 110 doesn't always mean it's cheaper to operate. Your heater will have to run for longer periods to time to achieve and maintain a set temp, for example.

[Tubber1111]

Thanks for the feedback.  The savings I saw going the 110 route was for the initial electrical hookup.  I have a sub-panel in my basement close to the location I want to put the tub.  I can run a 20A dedicated line from there at a fairly minimal cost.  I'm pretty sure that I'll have to get the dedicated 220 from my main panel which is much farther away, so I'm assuming that the cost for that will be much higher.

I work with someone that was a licensed electrician, so I'd be running all of this by him, and would probably have him do the final hookup.

Thanks

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

A couple things: 1. you and your family are too tall for a prodigy imo, unless you don't mind having your neck/chest area above water 2. If your in a part of the country with cold winters AND plan on using the tub in said winters than I would spend the money on running 220v service....I can't even tell you how many customers attempted to save money by going 110v and then ended up calling me 2-3 weeks later looking for the phone number for my electrician to run 220v.

[Tubber1111]

Thanks, appreciate the info on depth and voltage.

Any thoughts on price now that it seems to be 2004 vintage and not 2007? 

[Tubber1111]

Hi,

To wrap up this thread, I had a conversation with the HotSpring dealer and it looks as if the model year is a 2003.

Just looking for a sanity check on this package:

2003 HotSpring Vanguard with 1 year parts & labor warranty
New HS cover
Covermate I lifter (steel) - not sure how good this is
HS chemical kit
Steps

All the above with shipping for $4k

Does not include sub-panel (they want $200 for this)

I've been told that their refurb process includes a new heater and new circ. pump, but haven't seen this in writing.  Dealer has been around for a while, and it looks like they sell a lot of refurbs.

From what I can tell, this looks to be a decent deal, my main concern being the purchase of a 10 year old tub and the future longevity of this without major repairs down the road.

Thanks

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

Hi,

To wrap up this thread, I had a conversation with the HotSpring dealer and it looks as if the model year is a 2003.

Just looking for a sanity check on this package:

2003 HotSpring Vanguard with 1 year parts & labor warranty
New HS cover
Covermate I lifter (steel) - not sure how good this is
HS chemical kit
Steps

All the above with shipping for $4k

Does not include sub-panel (they want $200 for this)

I've been told that their refurb process includes a new heater and new circ. pump, but haven't seen this in writing.  Dealer has been around for a while, and it looks like they sell a lot of refurbs.

From what I can tell, this looks to be a decent deal, my main concern being the purchase of a 10 year old tub and the future longevity of this without major repairs down the road.

Thanks

all in all their pricing is on the mark, that is right around what we would sell the same package for, I would still negotiate to get the breaker panel included but that's just me     As far as longevity its not really a huge concern considering they've replaced the two most "used" items (heater and circ pump) other main items would be jet pumps but down the road the motors could be removed and rebuilt by pretty much any electrical motor shop if you didn't want to pay the price for new.

[Tubber1111]

Thanks very much for your thoughts! 

Will look to have them include the breaker panel in the deal.

[Flyonthewall]

the price seems fair for that model and year.  its a little unsettling that they were so far off on the year.  the hot spring serial # is not the da vinci code.  wouldn't hurt to take a look at the pump and heater, maybe post a pic here.  the 1 year warranty gives pretty good peace of mind in any case.  make sure the moto jets work well and diverters turn smoothly once its filled.

[Tubber1111]

Thanks, was not able to get them to include the breaker panel, so will pay for it.  Been searching on and off for a year for a decent used tub and can't let this one pass.  Had them include on quote that circ. pump and heater are new as the store is close to an hour away and don't want to make a trip to ask them to open up the cabinet for validation.  Also got confirmation that warranty is for one year and includes parts & labor.

Will probably go ahead with purchase within the next day or so, thanks all for your advice. 

One final question regarding the cabinet color - cabinet was refinished in espresso and looks fine.  I do prefer the lighter colors and was wondering if it was even possible to refinish this to a lighter color in the future.  I've seen that there's a paint/stain out there that is "certified", not sure if I can go from the dark brown espresso to the lighter redwood.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

Thanks, was not able to get them to include the breaker panel, so will pay for it.  Been searching on and off for a year for a decent used tub and can't let this one pass.  Had them include on quote that circ. pump and heater are new as the store is close to an hour away and don't want to make a trip to ask them to open up the cabinet for validation.  Also got confirmation that warranty is for one year and includes parts & labor.

Will probably go ahead with purchase within the next day or so, thanks all for your advice. 

One final question regarding the cabinet color - cabinet was refinished in espresso and looks fine.  I do prefer the lighter colors and was wondering if it was even possible to refinish this to a lighter color in the future.  I've seen that there's a paint/stain out there that is "certified", not sure if I can go from the dark brown espresso to the lighter redwood.

if the surface is prepped properly and you use the right product pretty much anything can be painted/stained.  The best thing would be to stop into a paint store and talk to a professional...I'm no paint/stain pro but I can tell you that we use a Sherwin Williams exterior acrylic with good success when re-staining spa cabinets

[Flyonthewall]

if they've preciously recoated it, and it sounds like they have, you will have no problem it the paint is well affixed.  for a drastic change in color a primer will be helpful.  if it is bare plastic a primer will be mandatory.  sherwin williams makes a great primer for "hard to stick to surfaces".  quarts will be adequate in size.