New Here, Wanting to buy, What should I look for.

[silverbullet]

After we get a new roof installed on our house were hoping to have around 3k to spend on a entry level new one of a nice used hot tub. What should we look for? does one have to be a chemist to maintain one of these? Looking for a 4 to 6 seater with a couple of lounges to it since its just the wife & I & whenever we invite friends over.

Last spring I was in a motorcycle/deer accident so last winter I rented some hot tub time @ our local spa (for my aches & pains) for my Bride & I & we really enjoyed it. After weighing the pros & cons we've decided to purchase one so we can soak our ageing bodies whenever we see fit.

I'll add that we live in Central Wisconsin & the tub will be living on our patio.

Just looking to educate myself a bit before making a purchase. I'll probably buy local as my Stepsons, friends, parents, own a Hot tub store & his friend sells them. As a first time buyer I want the support of a local dealer.
Thanks!
Lou

[wmccall]

Welcome,  We look forward to hearing of your exploits.  I haven't priced 3 person tubs in years, so I don't know if 3K is realistic. I would think it might be more. What brands do you have available locally?

[Chartreux]

You'll need to look for dealers in your area, then you'll need to see how they feel for fit and then you'll need to see if you can wet tests the spa your interested in.

It's easy to look at them online, but most dealers do not carry the smaller 3 person tubs in stock on their showroom floors and that's the problem we are facing.

The model I'm really liking is the Sundance Capri, looks just like we need for a smaller tub, but the price is around $11,000 for it, I want one for theraputic reasons as well and I know the capri is in the higher end but the price is what's holding us back. We tried all the other dealers for fit in this smaller category and the Dover lower end model was the best fit in the smaller tub models. The Marqis did not fit my husband, so we are thinking of putting money down for Sundance to bring in the Capri just so we can wet tests it, but the $11,000 price is still the hold back.
Reason for the Capri is it has the status indicator light, which for me is a plus so I could know if something was wrong by just looking, I can't get around very easy anymore, I do have some good days when my RA not flairing...

Look at these models in the smaller tub, Hot Springs JetSetter NXT, Marquis Spirit and the SunDance Capri, Bullfrog also a few you might want to look at and if you have Arctic dealers by you then they might have some smaller hot tubs as well, no Arctic near me and without being able to try them I just won't buy because my husband is 6'2 and he's so hard to fit and it really surprised us that the Marquis Spirit did not fit him and that the Sundance Dover did...so that's why you need to find a fit.

The wet test is to try and check how much you'll float and how hard the jet sprays will hit you and those you need to have adjusted for you...I also found that Hot Springs had the hardest to turn knobs, so make sure to check everything out on a hot tub before you buy! Wet testing is a must!   

Good luck and you'll probably not find a quality hot tub/spa anywhere near $3,000......I like you wish they were at $3,000 and then you'll have the costs of the electrical and a 60 amp panel.
and I also need it for therapy so I do sympathize with your hurting, I have RA and a very bad lower back and my Cervical is messed up as well (neuro doc said he could do surgery but that would mean hardware and all the bells and whistles and I said no, I do not want hardware in me yet!)  and the asthma (broke 2 ribs in 2010 with pneumonia) is also making it hard for me to pick a tub one store I walked into I had to almost run back out because of the chlorine smell, so that why we looked at Hot Springs, but our Hot Springs dealer has no NXT lines in store yet.

Anyways good luck to you! and keep us posted...

[sksmoker]

We are buying a tub, and have looked at as many tubs as we could. My wife and I thought the same thing, to purchase a small tub for just me and her and perhaps a few friends. We have yet to see a tub that is even remotely close to your price point, even used. The only thing close was a tub from Costco at about $4500..Arctic does make a Frontier (I think it is called) but no dealers actually have it on the floor in my area. Best hopes for your search!

[Isaac-1]

At your pricepoint I think you would be much  better off buying a used / refurbished quality tub, either from a dealer, or an individual, than buying a low quality, low end tub.  Hot tubs depreciate worse than just about anything I can think of, they instantly take about a 30-40% hit, then loose another 10-20% per year, this means you can often find a 1-2 year old hot tub selling for half its initial cost.  And it is not uncommon to find one in the 5-10 year old age range for well under your budget.  There are a few things to be concered about the a used tub, one of which is loss of warranty coverage (most quality hot tubs have a 5 year warranty, but the warranty is for the first owner only), used and refurbished tubs bought from a dealer sometimes have a short warranty, but prices tend to be higher by a fair amount.  Another issue when shopping for used hot tubs is look at the conditions, a tub that has spent 5 years out in the elements is likely to be in far worse shape than a tub that is spent 10 years sheltered  in a sun room.  Overall I think the hardest part about buying a used hot tub is finding the quality ones mixed in with all the junk, lots of used hot tub ads are really asking people to pay them to haul off their dead junk.  If you can't see it running, don't buy it is often given as advice around here, a bit I choose to ignore when I bought my used hot tub a few months back, but often good safe advice none the less.  The tub I bought was a 1998 Hot Spring Jetsetter (2-3 person tub) which had been sitting in storage for a few years, and likely spent its whole life indoors based on its cosmetic condition, I found it on an ebay auction listing about 150 miles away.  This tub is a little older than most would generally reccomend around here, but 1998 was the first year of this series that ran virtually unchanged until 2008, so that does help.  Of and if you are wondering I paid $1,100 for it, and had to invest another $350 or so into it to hook it up, this included $175 for a new circulation pump as the old one made noise and then died 2 days later, plus about $100 in expenses to go pick it up.  Of course the week after I bought mine I spotted a 2012 Jetsetter for sale only 15 miles away for $3,000 (seller was moving out of state and could not take it with them)

Ike

[silverbullet]

I've just started looking & I need to get the roof on before I can buy unless of course I run into a deal I can't pass up. I went to one dealer yesterday & was not impressed. Had a used one for $1.800 duo lounger but he couldn't tell me the brand or how old it was. RED FLAG!! And called another dealer I think she said she had a 2001 sundance something for $4.000 another RED Flag.
But your right I may need buy a quality used one for my price range. Yet it seems the dealers I've spoke to seem to be like the motorcycle dealers. when you want to trade its worth nothing until it hits there showroom floor. Then they want to sell it to you for $500 to 1000 over blue book.
Please don't be misunderstood. The smallest were looking at is a 4 person. Seems they want just as much or more for a 2 to 3 person tub as they do for a 4 & up.
In the mean time I'll keep looking & asking questions.
I appreciate all your input Thanks!!

[Chartreux]

Yes, The Sundance Victoria is the same price as the smaller Capri and it shouldn't be, The Victoria you'd think would have the higher price tag because it's an elite type tub. I cannot understand why a smaller tub, even if it's just a margin below the elite would be the same price, either...something is wrong there...More craftmanship is in the Victoria, plus it is a bigger size.
 
So then they say the 880 series is the elite, I just don't think that's the case. The Capri should come in under the Victoria as far as price is concerned.

[silverbullet]

Few questions,
1. What is the minimum of jets you would want say in a 4 person tub?
Came across a beautiful looking Sundance on Craigslist. You could tell it had a nice life It was sitting in a sunroom & it looked lik new. So I called & inquired. $800.00 obo It had only 9 jets to it & it was 15 years old. How hard is it to get parts for a 15 year old Sundance? Is only 9 jets a bit light for comfort?

2. Electrical, 110 or 220 which is better & why?

3. When filling do you use just a garden hose or do they require some plumbing?

4. is it legal to post links here? I know some forums its frowned on. But in the future if I could post what I'm looking at & get some feedback it would be a good thing. When I buy I want to make sure its what Diane & I want & will last for years.

Here is another I'll be keeping an eye on. Just 30 miles from home I copied the ad,
Its a Marquis,

"Bought new in 2005. Sale Price was $6760.00. Asking $2500.00. Seats 5. DuraShell interior, DuraWood cabinet with entry light. Tri-Zone Hydrotherapy. Constant Clean Water Management With Spa Frog System. 240V/30 or 50 amp System. Low operating costs, less than $20.00 a month. Has cover, but due for a replacement".

5. I've heard that the Marquis is a pretty good tub. It it? What defects if any should one look for. Is the price OK?

[Isaac-1]

I don't know the answers to all of these, but I will give it a shot:

1, number of jets is not as important as placement, type and how strong they are.  More is not always better, and sometimes these are counted creatively, 9 does seem a bit few for a 4 person tub though, even my 1998 2-3 person Jetsetter has more than that depending on how you count, as there are a pair of 7 jet combo jets, that could be counted as 7 or 1, plus the moto massage that usually counts as one for some reason

2, it is not a better or worse here, 110V may be able to run on an existing 15 or 20 amp 120V outlet, but will be limited to about 1,500 watts for heater, and the heat and the jets can't run at the same time, not a problem with a smaller well insulated tub in a warm climate, particularly if the tub is designed to scavange heat from the jet pump.  220V typically has a 5,000 - 6,000 watt heater which allows for quicker warm up times.  My Jetsetter is a convertble model, I have it as 120V and don't feel need to switch.

3,  garden hose is typical

4, I am not sure of the exact policies

5, It helps to see it running, and look for leaks