At what age is a Used spa too old to consider ?

[Peterpack]

I've been doing a lot of looking round at Spas, both new and used. I can't quite afford my dream spa new.

I'm trying to find a spa less than 2 years old, that way you have that decent hit of depreciation of value but it's not too old.

At what age do you think a used spa is not worth considering ? let's say it's a decent quality spa from new. Is 5 or 7 years too old ?

What is the life expectancy of a quality new spa nowadays ?

[mmura28]

Good question, I also saw a used Sundance I believe called an alarm at for sale, it was 6 years old and they were asking $8000. It only has a 2 year warranty which scares me and being that it's 6 years old already, not sure the life expectancy of these also. Anyone able to help us out? Thanks

[bud16415]

I will give your question a shot and I’m not a pro dealer or spa expert just a guy that bought a high end spa 2 years ago. I am the king of used equipment, cars, houses you name it. I understand the out the door deprecation aspect of most things. We went shopping with a 5-6k budget in mind and there were some nice spas in that price range new. And then we realized the type of features and reliability we wanted were well outside our first budget. We thought about looking used as you are or buying less than we wanted and making do for a couple years and then trading up, or basically starting over and buying what we wanted the first time around. Around here there was not a huge supply of top end tubs reconditioned and sold thru the dealers and when you did find one there wasn’t a significant savings in my mind to outweigh the deprecation. For sale by owners were mostly tubs where the owner bought a spa and found they never used it or didn’t like paying to heat a tub they didn’t use enough. One or two of those might pop up now and then and if you are lucky it is the make and model you want. Most of the used tubs are someone let one go and it is a mess or they bought a new one and their tub was whipped and the dealer offered to haul it away for free but they thought they could sell it cheap and make a few bucks. Lots of them show up on Craigslist here as free come and get it.

The more we thought about it we figured out a hot tub spa is not something you need it is purely a luxury item and the top of the line products well maintained will last you much longer than an automobile 15 -20 years anyway. Then there is the close personal feeling about a used item being purchased for health reasons and she was never keen from the onset of soaking in someone else’s tub. I know there are cleaning processes and people use spas at hotels and sleep in beds even that others sleep in at hotels but would never think of buying a used bed. That mindset factored in a little as well.

It boiled down we wanted an exact specific tub we liked and the chances of finding that without compromise was next to impossible.  Like most luxury items they are way over priced IMO and you are paying more in some ways because it is a want and not a need. We just bit the bullet and doubled our budget. I was against the idea and she was for the idea of doing this. In the end I tell her every time we get in the tub that buying this tub was the best idea I ever had. And I normally get the stink eye back.    

[Tman122]

I've been doing a lot of looking round at Spas, both new and used. I can't quite afford my dream spa new.

I'm trying to find a spa less than 2 years old, that way you have that decent hit of depreciation of value but it's not too old.

At what age do you think a used spa is not worth considering ? let's say it's a decent quality spa from new. Is 5 or 7 years too old ?

What is the life expectancy of a quality new spa nowadays ?

A used tub can be a good value, but you can narrow your search a ton if you ask yourself a few questions. How comfortable are you with minor not to complicated repair? Most all tubs need maintenance a few times in that 15-20 year life expectancy. There is no warranty unless it comes from a dealer. 5-7 years old means there is 10 years left in the tub. If its a solid manufacturer? (this can be selective based on who is determining it) and less than half the original price.......?

An 8000 dollar tub is worth 4000 dollars when it's 3-4 years old. When it's 8-10 years old it's worth 1500 bucks. If it runs. Never buy a used tub you don't see filled, heated and running. Unless its 10-15 cents on the dollar to the above depreciation formula. And your handy.

Remember folks our opinions are...........opinions.

New owners who just paid 10,000 bucks for a tub have just been insulted. But that wasn't my intent.

[Peterpack]

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful replies

I don't think i till go for a used spa older than 3 years unless it has been immaculately maintained

I'm in no rush, an ex demo model might also be on the cards, always on the lookout for a bargain

[bud16415]

When we were looking I stopped in at one store and they were out of the spa business and now just doing pools and selling spa chemicals. They pointed to a tub and said that’s the last one and said it had been sitting there for 8 years empty except was filled for a short time as a demo 8 years before. They told me it listed for 12k and I could have it for 8k. he said if it didn’t sell he would take it home for his tub. I thought about it and it seemed way too high for old technology and I passed. If he would have said 5k I might have bought it. I went in a few months later and it was gone so I asked if he took it home he said nope it sold. So even though I thought it was too high someone didn’t.

One member here just got a great deal on a high end tub as the manufacture made a change to that model and gave it a new look. Kind of like buying a car at the end of the model year. Something like that might pop up for you.