Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: jenC on June 22, 2008, 10:20:37 pm
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Hi,
I've been reading the forum for several hours now and decided to finally bite the bullet and post. We are planning our first hot tub purchase and I'm looking for recommendations in my budget/wish list.
Wish list:
4-6 person tub
Full foam insulation
No lounger
No larger than 90" in length (6-7 feet would be best)
We want to be around $5000... going up to $7000 or so...
Good quality/energy efficient
We've been to the local Jacuzzi/Sundance dealer. I wasn't totally feeling the dealer although he did seem to know what he was talking about. He didn't really seem to want to listen to my wish list though and was pushing the J-280 really hard even though it's bigger than what I want. He quoted me $5800 on that one.
After poking around on the internet for a bit I found the J-345 and J-365 which look like what I would want (love the foot massager in the 365 but we don't really need all that extra space). What would be a reasonable price for a 345 or 365? Any chance either are within my budget? The only other dealer really near by is a Hot Springs dealer, what do they have that compares to the J-345/365 in price/features? There are plenty of other dealers within an hours drive, I'm just trying to start with what is really close. I'm in the Chicago suburbs.
I know we need to do the wet tests before we decide on anything, I'm just trying to figure out where to start.
Thanks!!
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Take a look at the Hot Spot series from Hot Spring. They have some nice spas in that price range. Maybe just a little bit more.
While shopping, remember that some of the less expensive spas with a lot of bling have done something to lower the cost. It is about trade offs at that price point.
Do you want high quality? Then you may have to sacrifice some of the features of a higher priced spa.
Do you want the bling? Then you may have to sacrifice some of the quality of the higher priced spas.
You can't get great quality, great support and a lot of stuff for a low price. Just can't be done. Everything on the spa costs money and the more stuff you get the more the spa will cost. Some of that stuff may be fancy lighting, lots of jets, lots of pumps, longer warranty, etc. Decide what is most important.
Once you have decided what is most important, look at the spas that offer that. Then, wet test it to make sure you are comfortable in it. There are some very comfortable mid-range spas out there.
Good luck with your search and keep asking questions as you look around. Don't get fooled into thinking you can have everything you want on a spa at your price point. Some people will tell you that they can offer it to you, but something will be missing and that will be the part they don't tell you about.
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Our recent inquiries on the J-365 (375 is same price) was 7995 but we had a verbal 7500 on the second visit.
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Thanks for the replies so far! We are definitely in it for quality/reliability over bling! And we're hoping that going for the smaller size will get us more for our money since we will rarely need room for more than the two of us.
We're very interested to hear other's opinions!
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I wet tested a Jacuzzi J-345. We had four people in it and it was a little crowded. 2 of the people (me and my son-in-law) are a little on the big side. OK we are over-weight. Great tub and I think the price was $7500.
Good Luck,
Scott :)
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There are some nice 4-6 person spas in that price range in the Marquis line. You can check them out at:
http://www.marquisspas.com
There should be a dealer in your area
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I recently purchased a new 2008 sundance hot tub model chelsea for 6250.00 in new york comes with stairs ,ozenator ,chemical start up kit, cover and cover lifter including delivery and set up. what was great about it sundance was having a 0% for 12 months ,no payment until june 2008,this tub can easily hold six people and has those wonderful foot massages and lighting.watch on the internet as these specials will continue during upcoming holidays.you can go wrong if you purchase from hot springs ,jacuzzi ,or sundance, they make and excellent tub and have great warranties .I hoppe this hepl you Regards Marc
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Marc,
where are you watching for these deals? Was it on Sundance's website or through your dealer? Sounds ideal for what we're after!
MarKee - I did see some Marquis I thought would be great, the dealer is pretty far from me though so I'll have to work up some motivation for the trip :)
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I'm just going to jump in here. Go with a dealer that is close to your home. Also one that has a good reputation and been in business more than 2 months!! Also if possible done get the "low end" tub.
This is the voice of experience talking here. We've had lots of "issues" with our tub - dealer no longer in business, no one will work on it, etc. We've finally got everything working - finally after lots of headaches and calls - but its not worth the trouble.
Local good dealer with reputation and service department. My opinion and experience only speakin here.
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You can also try craigslist.com for your area. We had great luck finding a nearly new 2004 (delivered in 2005) Sundance for 3000 + all the other stuff like electric, deck, chemicals, filter, delivery etc. It came with steps and cover lifter. No warranty but good price and looks brand new -the headrests that need replacing. :(
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Jen, it is on the sundance web site,it is sponsered by ge bank for financing ,watch for it before the upcoming holidays,best of luck, Marc
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My local Sundance dealer gave me a price of 7200 for the Chelsee... I'm glad i know what you paid so I have something to bargain towards. Fingers crossed that there's a nice sale for the 4th of July!!
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Just be sure to wet test the spas you are looking at.
I'd also look at the Tiger River line from Hot Spring and the Limelight Spas from Hot Spring.
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Yup, I already made appointments. Tomorrow I'm wet testing the Jacuzzi J-345 and Sundance Chelsee.
This weekend I'm trying out two of the Hot Springs - I already like the Hot Springs dealer a lot better than the jacuzzi/sundance dealer.. I feel like he's not taking me seriously as a buyer because I'm a 20-something female. He keeps acting like he doesn't really want to talk to me since I obviously can't be making this decision/purchase on my own (the jacuzzi/sundance dealer that is)... ugh.
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Hi jenC,
Don't know about Chicago per se, but here in southern Ohio you get a number "middle-line" models from the name brands spa manufacturers that put you comfortably inside your budget. Sundance's old Sweetwater brand is now their 600 series. Artesian has their Island Spas brand. Hot Spring has Tiger River and now Limelight. Many others like Jacuzzi, Marquis and Dimension One have dependable middle lines.
Lesser known brands like Dynasty and Emerald are fairly local brands to you in Chicago so you might also see them at your dealers too.
You have a pretty forgiving budget so I know you'll find a good spa. Just get comfortable with the whole package before pulling the trigger. Obviously how it feels is #1 because that will hopefully be 95% of your experience. But energy usage, warranty (and the company backing it up), local dealer reputation and professionalism, and overall construction of the spa are also very important.
Good luck.
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Yup, I already made appointments. Tomorrow I'm wet testing the Jacuzzi J-345 and Sundance Chelsee.
This weekend I'm trying out two of the Hot Springs - I already like the Hot Springs dealer a lot better than the jacuzzi/sundance dealer.. I feel like he's not taking me seriously as a buyer because I'm a 20-something female. He keeps acting like he doesn't really want to talk to me since I obviously can't be making this decision/purchase on my own (the jacuzzi/sundance dealer that is)... ugh.
Being a Jacuzzi salesman, I hate dealers like you described at Jacuzzi/Sundance either way if you like the Jacuzzi they are running a promo just like Sundance starting June 29th I dont know what the details are yet sorry??
Go with what you like best. I am curious what you like and don't like about the Chelsee compared to the J-345 I think the jetting in the J-345 is better but thats me.
Good luck and enjoy the search!!!
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Oh thanks for the tip Jim!!! I will definitely wait to hear about the promotion before making any decisions. I leave for my wet test in 30 minutes, woohoo!
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If you go with a used Craiglist tub, here area couple in Chicago area:
HotSprings Tub (Like New) $1800
http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/for/727757926.html
2 year old $9500 Jacuzzi for $2500
http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/for/722672028.html
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Well I'm back from my wet test.
First things first - I take back the bad things I said about the Jacuzzi/Sundance rep - he was a lot lot better this time... granted I did have my boyfriend with me so that may have had something to do with it but I still appreciated his honesty and willingness to stay late with us and answer all of our questions.
As for the two tubs - I was not impressed with the 345. I just couldn't stay seated well in it at all and because of that, I didn't enjoy the jets one bit. (let's just say that certain parts of me like to float). The Chelsee was night and day better in my opinion because I could use the foot jet dome to ground myself and the jets were nice and strong and hit the parts I wanted them to hit. We really really loved the Chelsee. (or is it Chelsea? Everyone spells it different). They were the same price from my dealer - $7200 for either one (with delivery, set up, steps, cover lifter, etc.). The foot dome just rocked and I thought the jets did as well. It's also got 4 inches on the 345 so it seemed like a win win to me!
We are planning on wet testing some Hot Springs this weekend (the La Palma and the Caspian) but so far, the Chelsee has my money.
Now JJ, about this promotion on June 29th.... our dealer told us that even if they do something, it wouldn't affect their pricing at all because they are already selling them so cheap.... he works for The Great Escape, they have 21 stores so he said they are Jacuzzi's second largest dealer in the country and since they sell such high volume, they already sell them way cheaper than Jacuzzi/Sundance would like them to....
Could this be true? When they have these promotions what kind of deals are they usually? Buyer rebates? Dealer rebates? % off? cash back? extra bonuses? extra financing? Just trying to figure it out....
Any opinions on the $7200 price tag for the Chelsee?
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Oh I also thought i would mention that my jacuzzi/sundance dealer told us that the only other hot tub he would consider buying besides the sundance or jacuzzi was the Hot Springs. He knew that was the other line we were looking at so I appreciated him not taking that opportunity to bash them. He also sells calspa's & vikings but says he doesn't recommend them at all.
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If you go with a used Craiglist tub, here area couple in Chicago area:
HotSprings Tub (Like New) $1800
http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/for/727757926.html
2 year old $9500 Jacuzzi for $2500
http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/for/722672028.html
Thanks Zep! I checked them both out, wish they had more info up there. Although I'm not wild about trying to figure out how to transport a used one myself... I also like the 5 year warranty I can get on the Sundance - I doubt i'd get one on a used tub.
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Jen, glad you liked the sundance chelsea, I love mine and so does the entire neighbor hood! get that dealer down on his price 7200 vs. 6250 is a lot of money, check out the other hot springs tubs and make you decision ,dont forget the june 29 promotion coming up, it hurts less in the pocket book .best of luck and glad to be of help, regards Marc
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Jen,
I purchased a Chelsee at a Great Escape in northern Illinois about two months ago. As I mentioned in another post........great dealer but, terrible service. If it's the same dealer I had, you can tell him I said it.
I was lucky in the fact I wasn't able to wet-test but, still enjoy every seat in the tub. I figured I would as I'm even content in hotel hot tubs. The Chelsee is a
I would still suggest you wet-test others. I searched for a few years until everything fell into place. I wet-tested a Hot Springs Envoy and it was pretty sweet. Check out the back thingy (Sorry HS dealers :-[) seat that goes up and down automatically. Moto-massage I think. :-/
What part of Chicagoland are you from?
Skellman
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Jen,
I guess it would be practical to finish my sentence!
The Chelsee is a very nice tub in my opinion.
Skellman
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Jen,
I purchased a Chelsee at a Great Escape in northern Illinois about two months ago. As I mentioned in another post........great dealer but, terrible service. If it's the same dealer I had, you can tell him I said it.
I was lucky in the fact I wasn't able to wet-test but, still enjoy every seat in the tub. I figured I would as I'm even content in hotel hot tubs. The Chelsee is a
I would still suggest you wet-test others. I searched for a few years until everything fell into place. I wet-tested a Hot Springs Envoy and it was pretty sweet. Check out the back thingy (Sorry HS dealers :-[) seat that goes up and down automatically. Moto-massage I think. :-/
What part of Chicagoland are you from?
Skellman
I think I know there head of service met him at dealer conference in St Kitts? Is his name Eddie?? Short little funny guy kinda balding thats about the most obnoxious person on the planet,the kinda guy that you would just want to squish like a bug on your garage floor??
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Check out Arvidson in Crystal Lake & Palatine.
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woohoo, lots of new posts - thanks everyone!
Skellman - I'm in Arlington Heights, we were at the Great Escape in Mt. Prospect. Our dealer said that it's actually their teaching store. He also said he sees how some of the guys are at the other Great Escapes and it's like they've forgotten everything he taught them regarding good customer service. Was that your guy? What do you mean exactly by service wise? They don't come fix things when they are supposed to? Don't call you back? Do you remember the rough price on the HS Envoy?
The_real_Clown_Shoes - we are indeed checking out Arvidson, I've been speaking with the manager at the Palatine location, she's filling a Caspian for me as I type. We want to test the La Palma, Caspian, and Limelight Pulse. No idea if those are in my price range :P
Darth Vader - I actually told my dude of your deal and his reply was "Well ask him where he got it because I would love to buy it for that price myself, it's barely over wholesale". I searched the forums here and at poolspaforum for prices people got for the Chelsee and yours is the lowest I saw by $1000. Most people are being quoted at least $8K by the posts I've seen. Your deal had to have been some kind of crazy fluke right? Either way, I am definitely holding out until the 29th to see if the deal gets better!
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Jen,
I was at the Gurnee store.
However, I will say that the gentleman I dealt with at Gurnee for a while (Ron was his name) was transferred to I believe Mount Prospect. If it is Ron you're working with, he too was very helpful and patient. Unfortunately for him, I bought shortly after he was transferred.
They're (service) is not responding at all. I'm not sure but, I think they sub-contract the service work out.
I tested that Envoy well over a year ago. Probably closer to two years. I can't recall what the price was. Sorry!
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Hello Jen,
Bullfrog Spas has a dealer in Palatine. If that's not to far, I would suggest looking at the 462 model, they should be able to get you into at the price you want. Good luck and happy searching...if you don't go crazy :)
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Well Skellman, our dealer is most certainly Ron, the same guy you had. Hm... so I should bring this up to him right? That I've spoken to customers who dealt with him and said he was great but the service after the fact was unresponsive at best? Any advice on what I should tell him/ask him would be much appreciated.
On another (related) note... you bought your Chelsee 2 months ago and are already having problems with it? That doesn't sound good... what kind of issues are you having? Is it something I should be weary of?
Webboy - Palatine is the neighboring town (we almost bought there - put an offer down, they countered, we didn't follow up and wound up with our house in AH which I love sooooo much more than the Palatine one), I will definitely check out your suggestion - thanks!
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Webboy - looks like the Bullfrog dealer is Arvidson - the same as our Hotsprings dealer. I will add the 462 to my list of wet tests while I'm there!
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Well Skellman, our dealer is most certainly Ron, the same guy you had. Hm... so I should bring this up to him right? That I've spoken to customers who dealt with him and said he was great but the service after the fact was unresponsive at best? Any advice on what I should tell him/ask him would be much appreciated.
On another (related) note... you bought your Chelsee 2 months ago and are already having problems with it? That doesn't sound good... what kind of issues are you having? Is it something I should be weary of?
Cyn,
I spent many a night out in your area back in the Big 80's! I grew up in Grayslake. I know.............nobody cares. :-[
I have no problem if you mention it to Ron. He would remember me as Ben from Bristol, WI. As I mentioned, he was pretty helpful and easy to work with. If I had the money I needed at the time I would certainly have bought from Ron. I don't know if he has any say/input on what goes on in Gurnee.
There's a controller for the stereo mounted on the tub which allows you to avoid having to get out of the tub to change stations, volume etc. It stopped working after 2-3 weeks.
I'm sure it's an easy fix. I just think they're way too lax in their respnse to remedy the situation.
Good luck and let me know if I can be of anymore help.
Skellman
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Webboy - looks like the Bullfrog dealer is Arvidson - the same as our Hotsprings dealer. I will add the 462 to my list of wet tests while I'm there!
If you do, try the neck blaster jet pack. It is heaven, I wish I could install one on my Jacuzzi.
Scott ;)
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Jen- I have received emails and "sales" info from Jacuzzi (like 500 off) but the dealer always tells me that is off MSRP and "doesn't really apply to them" because their prices are different or lower already. Not sure I'm buying it but what can you do?
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Jen, it was no fluke the dealers first price was 6700.00 and i offered 6000.00 after hagling we mutually agreed to 6250.00 .I did not perform a Jetti mind trick on him, also the economy right now is terrible,realistically who has 7000.00 or 8000.oo to put down on a hot tub.The 0 percent, no payment ,12 month financing plan from jacuuzzi just started today! I have not cheked the sundance web site as of yet but have received an e mail from jacuzzi notifying me it started today.Hang tough and keep your powder dry.Regards Marc
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Good to hear! Arvidson is a great dealer, regardless of which spa you end up choosing.
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Jen- I have received emails and "sales" info from Jacuzzi (like 500 off) but the dealer always tells me that is off MSRP and "doesn't really apply to them" because their prices are different or lower already. Not sure I'm buying it but what can you do?
If you look at the coupon, most say "can not be combined with any other offer" If your dealer is offering something other than MSRP ect he is right. We get them all the time from the manufacturer but the customer always does better with our deal rather than using the coupon. I don't think they are trying to pull wool over your eyes.