I ordered a Marquis Epic today. I have been shopping around and doing research for about 8 months, and finally bit the bullet today.
You may recall I started a thread a few weeks ago about (what I considered) a sky high quote of $11,500 for the Epic. Thanks to many of you here, I was able to go back with a reasonable counter offer. While I don't know the exact dealer price, I can read between the lines enough to see it's probably about $8,000. As someone pointed out, for whatever reason spas seem to run a little bit higher here in the southeast (I am in Columbia SC). I think that is partly due to the transportation distance from most manufacturers but mostly due to low volume sales. Spas are just seeming to catch on in this part of the country, and I know the local Marquis dealer is a very low volume dealer. I doubt he sells more than 12 spas a year (he is mostly a swimming pool builder).
With all that in mind, I said that unless they could offer me a price in which the first digit was an 8 or 9, I was not interested in playing. I figure this would cover the cost of the spa, transportation on a single order from Oregon to S.C., and about $1000 profit. So I was not surprised when I was given a price of $9850. Do I think this is a good deal? No, but it is acceptable, (and certainly much better than the original $11,500) and hopefully will put me in good graces with the dealer when I need service.
Although I was unable to wet test the Epic, I was able to test a Euphoria, which at least let me experience the high volume water flow Marquis is known for. Both my partner and I commented afterward that we felt like jello. We wet tested a Caldera Geneva last week, and a Hotsprings Vangard several months ago. Nothing against these manufacturers or models, but for us personally, we just didn't feel much massage effect. I would like to have tested a Sundance, but the nearest dealer is about 60 miles away.
I know some here would not think of buying a spa they could not wet test. Unfortunately for small dealers this is not always possible. I am grateful for being able to test another model that let me experience the same type of jets and water flow I will find in the Epic.
Lastly I want to say this board was an invaluable resource. Without you I would have never even heard of some of the brands I looked at. I will let everyone know when my spa comes in. Should be about 3 weeks!
