Caldera Makena Price - seem fair?

[readytorelax]

Hello,
We went and tried out Hot Springs and Caldera hot tubs and really loved the Makena. We were quoted a price of $12,100, which included salt for 1 year, a cover with lifter, and install and delivery. But looking around on this forum, I'm wondering if this is high? This is supposedly a Black Friday sale price too. We were hoping to stay more around the $10k mark. Willing to stretch - maybe - to $12k, but want to be sure we are getting a good price. From what I can tell on reviews, and also my sense of the business having visited, the dealer is reputable and a long-time family-owned company. Thanks so much for your help.

[Chris_H]

In my opinion the price is high unless it includes financing.  Should be priced around the same as the Hot Spring Pulse.  Where are you located? 

[readytorelax]

Thanks for the info. We are in southwest Virginia. It’s frustrating that pricing is not very clear or easy to compare in the hot tub world! Is it common to negotiate with a dealer?

Are there other brands that feature an integrated salt water system? I’m pretty set on this. I’ve done the research and have read all sides but I have very sensitive skin (and nose!) and really think I want the salt water. And it seems like the integrated system will be easier to use. It appears that HS or Caldera are only brands with this feature? And in that case I think this dealer is the only option in our area. Hmm. Thanks in advance.

[castletonia]

I am a dealer for Hot Spring and Caldera.  Here is the thing, every dealer determines the price they sell for as long as it is less than MSRP.  I just looked at my pricing on the Makena.  Before I would even think about commenting on price, I would be curious on the following:  How are you paying?  What coverlift are they including?  Is this an instock item or special order?  Is your price including tax and if so, what is your state sales tax?  Are they doing the electrical or is that separate?

You are doing the right thing by shopping around and researching your dealer.  The issue when it comes to price is that are variables that factor into what a dealer sells for.  Local market, cost of doing business and freight costs, to name a few.  I don't know the answer to those questions.  A reputable dealer is worth its weight in gold and generally a quality dealer does not overcharge their customers, they charge an amount that allows them to remain in business and continue to serve those customers. 

You are correct in that Hot Spring and Caldera are about the only ones offering saltwater, or at least integrating it with their hot tubs and not just offering it as an option that is not optimized for their product.  You can always negotiate and the worst your dealer can do is say no.  When negotiating, it helps to be prepared to buy if the dealer agrees to your requests otherwise they probably will get the impression that you are not serious.

[ratchett]

Thanks for the info. We are in southwest Virginia. It’s frustrating that pricing is not very clear or easy to compare in the hot tub world! Is it common to negotiate with a dealer?

In my experience, most quality name brand spas do not list their prices online since every dealer is different and needs different margins to operate their business.   Post-purchase warranty service is a major consideration first-time buyers don't think about.

As many around here will tell you - not all dealers are created equal.  The dealer you're buying from is just as important as the brand you're buying. I didn't really like the first Hotspring Dealer I visited locally - they charged nearly MSRP prices (but they had a "sale" for $500 off and some free items like a cover lifter, whooptydoo). They were a "big backyard store" - not interested in negotiating prices, more interested in the customer with a large wallet trying to redo their entire backyard and buy it all from the same shop.  Their prices for even simple things like maintenance parts were basically at MSRP prices.  Then I visited another Hotspring Dealer who's prices were MUCH more affordable and competitive with the market (almost $3000 LESS for the same spa, same year/make/model/accessories included) - they specialize in Hotsprings spas exclusively and nothing else - they were experts in the product and cared about their customers satisfaction.  The difference between my two Hotspring dealers was night and day different (I'm lucky that my home is nearly equidistant from two different unaffiliated dealer)

Be sure to visit other spa dealers from other brands, you might find you like a different dealer of another brand better.  Remember - they are going to be your point of contact for the next few years with any warranty issues you may encounter. You want to be certain their service department can handle any issues that may come up. 

Keep in mind many spa retailers make up fake "sales" to justify the price ("but you're saving XYZ!!" - they fail to mention that's the same price they'd charge regardless what time of year it is).   Sometimes the best dealers are the ones who have no sales going on - the price listed is the price it is. (Although if the total is a few hundred over your rounded off budget, by all means try to work with them - but don't expect to negotiate thousands off their prices because you saw someone on the other side of the country saved $2k on the same tub. )

Are there other brands that feature an integrated salt water system? I’m pretty set on this. I’ve done the research and have read all sides but I have very sensitive skin (and nose!) and really think I want the salt water. And it seems like the integrated system will be easier to use. It appears that HS or Caldera are only brands with this feature? And in that case I think this dealer is the only option in our area. Hmm. Thanks in advance.

Just want to give you a heads up, you do realize that salt systems actually use the salt to generate chlorine, right? They actually produce more chlorine than an ozonator based system. 

I took a wet-test in a HotSprings Highlife spa with the new Freshwater Salt system before buying my Jetsetter. My skin STUNK like chlorine for the entire day until I showered.   Salt systems are also a PITA to get up and running (specifically to get balanced and generating chlorine properly), and they require a lot of testing to keep up when you first get things running.  Yes it's true the new system is slightly more user-friendly than the older expensive ACE salt system (Watkin's first attempt at a salt system), but I still don't see the value in it.

Personally I did the research and it seems that ozonators are quite effective at keeping your water clean, allowing you to use LESS chlorine to keep your spa sanitized.  The important thing to know about ozonators is that they only work when water is flowing, so a circulation pump is necessary for best results (I've seen more than one lesser-known spa brand selling "ozonator" features as an optional upgrade, but include no circulation pump!).

With my Ozonator system, I add half a teaspoon of chlorine per 30 minutes of soak time (per person using the spa) AFTER my soak and then hit the clean button (runs the pump for 10 minutes). 24 hours later, there is zero chlorine in that water, talk about easy to use!   I jump in my spa before bed and then sometimes go to sleep without even showering because there is no chlorine smell on my skin.  I'm SO glad I didn't get the salt system.

At the bare minimum, you need to do a wet-test with a saltwater spa, you'll be surprised how much chlorine that water actually has in it.  (And if possible, on a different day conduct a test with an ozonated system and see which water you like better).