Asking advice to used tub purchase

[MissMarvel]

My husband and I have wanted a hot tub for years -- he has RA and believes the tub will help give him some pain relief (he has experienced this when "visiting" other hot tubs).  We cannot afford to drop $10K on a spa and were shocked when we went shopping for one!  Perhaps I'm just getting old but it seems like prices have rocketed in the past 5-years or so!!  Anyway, we have an opportunity to purchase a Hot Springs Portable Spa brand hot tub that is pretty standard size, 7.5' x 8.5 with cover, adequate jets and a lounger.  This tub is 8-years old.  We know the owner and he's a real fastidious handy-man type and has kept the tub in immaculate condition (to the elementary eye, anyway).  I've seen it up and running, no leaks and looks beautiful -- when I saw it I was shocked it was that age.  Within the last 2-years he has replaced the pump and put in a brand-new updated motherboard and switching valve.  It has a nice cover with the easy-lift/close bar and he's asking $2000.  This seem quite reasonable but I don't know if there are other things we should be considering (energy efficiency of a newer model, questions to ask, etc).  Any input on price, brand and things to look into would be most appreciated!!

[Spatech_tuo]

My husband and I have wanted a hot tub for years -- he has RA and believes the tub will help give him some pain relief (he has experienced this when "visiting" other hot tubs).  We cannot afford to drop $10K on a spa and were shocked when we went shopping for one!  Perhaps I'm just getting old but it seems like prices have rocketed in the past 5-years or so!!  Anyway, we have an opportunity to purchase a Hot Springs Portable Spa brand hot tub that is pretty standard size, 7.5' x 8.5 with cover, adequate jets and a lounger.  This tub is 8-years old.  We know the owner and he's a real fastidious handy-man type and has kept the tub in immaculate condition (to the elementary eye, anyway).  I've seen it up and running, no leaks and looks beautiful -- when I saw it I was shocked it was that age.  Within the last 2-years he has replaced the pump and put in a brand-new updated motherboard and switching valve.  It has a nice cover with the easy-lift/close bar and he's asking $2000.  This seem quite reasonable but I don't know if there are other things we should be considering (energy efficiency of a newer model, questions to ask, etc).  Any input on price, brand and things to look into would be most appreciated!!

You can find an 8 year old spa that looks like new and another that looks 18 years old, condition is everything. Its a good brand and you say it looks good, you've seen it run without issues, the pump and board have been replaced, the cover looks good (and I assume isn't waterlogged) and its $2k. That sounds reasonable. Energy efficiency between a new one and an 8 year old should be basically the same really.

[Nikmav]

I was recently in the same place you are(I mean like 2 weeks ago).  We wanted a good tub but didn't want to drop 10K on one so we looked at Craigslist’s ads.  We did a lot of research on good brands before that so we knew what to look for.  Last weekend we looked at 3 tubs: a 7 year old Jacuzzi for $3800, a 5 year old Bullfrog for $2700, and a 3 year old Hot Springs for $4000).  We initially were going to go with the Bullfrog but it was 6  hours away and way too much of a challenge to get it here.  So we went with the Hot Springs.  The tub is immaculate and the owner is very meticulous in its care.  So we are pleased with our choice. 

As a point of reference for you...The 7 year old Jacuzzi was a nice tub.  It ran well but there were just little things about it that turned me off.  First, I wasn’t about to pay $3800 for a 7 year old tub.  Then there were some small aesthetic things(mildew on the control knobs, speakers not attached well, etc...that turned me off.  When they guy wouldn't budge on the price we knew this was not the one for us. 

Based on my experience in the past month of looking for tubs, I would say $2K for an 8 year old tub in really good condition is a fair deal. 

[wmccall]

Welcome to the forum.  This sounds like a good deal.  Can you see the tub up, running, and up to temp?

[psalad]

I had a great experience buying a used spa.  For about 4 months or so I would just check craigslist and look for spas that were priced right.  I found a few, and a lot of them just didn't feel right.. people were vague in their responses, wanted too much money, etc.  Finally I found a local guy who was downgrading to a smaller round spa.  He was very good at maintaining it, I could tell he was a meticulous person.  I visited it once and he was great about letting me pull off the panel and check for leaks, etc, and I even talked to the guy who did his service.  Finally he agreed to let us do a wet test.  I ended up with a spa for $1500 that fits my needs, at least for now.  I may decide to upgrade to a more feature filled model but I'm happy.  It's a coleman 104 from 2007. 

I guess what I'm saying is for me, patience was golden. 

[laenini]

Uhm, if you don't want it, I do!  Honestly, there is nothing about the deal that you describe that sets of warning bells for me at all. You will never find a deal that is better than this one seems to be. The only problem that comes to my mind is that I think moving hot tubs is hard on them sometimes, at least that is what my limited experience seems to imply as I bought a used hot tub that worked at the seller's place, but when the electrician hooked it up at our place it started smoking when he powered it on the first time! Luckily we bought it from a dealer so they took it back. You may want to ask this friend if he will take it right back if you are unable to successfully power it up the first time. That is a lot to ask and you only have a shot at asking it as this is a friend, a stranger on Craig's List would probably never agree to it. But its worth discussing with a friend.

Be sure to budget enough funds to have a site prepped for the tub (we laided a concrete pad to hold ours) and to pay an electrician to hook it up. The hook up was much more expensive than I expected. I think it ran about $800 and that was back in 2009.

Regarding your husband's arthritis, I have severe arthritis in my spine and my hot tub is a comfort to me. It doesn't provide any lasting pain relief, but while I'm in the tub I do enjoy some some relief as I soak. One of the best benefits for me is that I have severe muscle tension in my back and neck as my muscles are tensed up to "guard" my injured spine. Those muscles relax in the heat of the tub and I'm then able to use a "theracane" to work out some of the knots that reside deep within the tissues. If you do not know what a theracane in, look it up on Amazon and then buy one! Its just as valuable to my comfort as a hot tub is, there is nothing to break, and its far cheaper than a hot tub too.

Best wishes to you!
Leanne