So, I put the money down on a new Bahia.
To me this was the clear value choice. But the last leg of the journey was not very enjoyable.
The dealer we wanted to go with was willing to "match" our best price for the tub. Then a couple of red flags went off. Like a $50 per trip for service. Swapping out the 04 model (the quote was for the 05). Maximum 1 hour onsite delivery or a charge would be assessed. No 12 months same as cash. The unfortunate aspect was that this dealer seemed to be very knowledgeable about the tubs and and was willing to make himself available by cell phone every day until 11 pm.
The HotSprings dealer was less of a pleasure to deal with. We called them up and said we had decided on the Bahia. I guess the sales guy decided this was the appropriate time to be a jerk. He then said how bad of a tub the Sundance line was and that Sundance "finds" ways of voiding the warranty. The sales guy then proceed to state untrue facts about the Bahia. Fortunately for me, I have high speed internet access and finding the owners manual for the Bahia, I was able to defunct many of the myths that he stated. I think his last ditch effort was that he faxed me a comparison sheet of the Bahia vs the Caspian vs the Mallorca (the hotspots line of tub). Saying that if I were shopping for a price point then I should have been looking at the HotSpots line instead of the far superior Tiger River line. After looking at the comparison sheet between the three tubs, he convinced me that the Bahia was the best value of the three tubs.
So everyone always wants to know the deal that others got. Your math may very, but:
2005 Bahia delivered with cover
Resin steps
Sun glo lighting option
Extra filter
Sample set of chems
Full size of chems ($90 retail value)
Covermate III (hydraulic lift)
All options installed
12 Months Same as Cash
No service fees for warranty work (trip fee)
NO OZONE
$5395 + tax (6% in Michigan)
Now the waiting begins. An elusive date of 3 to 7 weeks delivery time. Which is somewhat okay considering we have to get homeowners association approval for said hot tub.