Hot Spring Jetsetter

[jjbeck12]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum! My wife and I are looking for a hot tub and with the significant delays in getting a new one we've starting to look at used ones. Someone posted a 2019 jetsetter for $8K which they are selling due to a move. It seemed pretty high to me so I asked them how low they were willing to go down and they said $7K. Their total was $10,500 before tax and $11,300 after tax. They sent me their invoice which included the following:

2019 Jetsetter- $14,499 less $3,500 final $10,999
Vinyl Cover-     $529
Cover Cradle-   $500 less $100 final $400
Step-               $500 less $150 final $350
Salt System-    $799 less $400 final $399
Rebate-      less $1,000
Free Lifter- less $400

What do you think a reasonable amount to offer for it? Did these people over pay for this tub? Thanks!

[Samuel]

Hello JJbeck, as someone who sells Hot Springs Spa's I want to give you a broad view of your purchase and some things to consider. First of all, is this a Jetsetter or a Jetsetter LX? I am a huge fan of the LX as it is a standard 220v with a bigger and better pump, and better placed Jets. The 110v Jetsetter is still good, but not as good.

Being that it is a brand new 2019 spa that is always a perk as you do not need to worry about things going out or being replaced years down the road. However one thing that is very important is that because you are purchasing the spa secondhand your entire warranty is voided.

To give you an Idea of a 2020 Jetsetter LX for where I live, they go for $14,060. That is based on 0% for 60. 99% of people do not do 0% for 60 and end up saving quite a bit of money. I'm sure prices really depend on where you live though...

Based on the price you have shown me though, if it is a Jetsetter LX, I would probably go for it or try to get them down to $6,500 due to no Warranty being given to you, but that is just my opinion.

[jjbeck12]

Hi Samuel, thanks for the response! The tub they are selling is the regular Jetsetter which is why it seemed a little overpriced to me. However, comparing it to what a local company that sells refurbished tubs, it doesn't seem too bad. For example, they just listed a regular jetsetter jj for $4,500 (he doesn't list the year but it has the older control panel in the wall so I believe it's 2009 or older). Of course, this seller is probably selling his tubs for more with the increased demand for them lately.Is there a certain age of tubs I should stay away from if we go with a refirb? Is getting a tub older than than 10 years just asking for trouble?

Currently we don't have the ability to run 220, we need to get our electrical panel upgraded. In the long run I would like a tub that will fit the whole family (we currently have 4 kids under 9) but I was thinking of starting with a smaller tub that could run off of 110, then upgrading the electrical and the tub down the road. However, now I'm thinking I should just get the panel upgraded and electrical run now so we can be ready to purchase any tub at any time and maybe just going with a bigger tub that'll fit the whole family right away. I'm on the fence about going with a new tub or a used or refurbished tub. To me it seems like the downsides of buying new right now are the long wait and the lack of deals since there's no inventory for dealers to move. Going used I could get a tub right away and save a lot of money up front but are those savings worth the hassle of the tub having issues and paying for repairs?

We aren't in any rush to buy so we could wait for things to go back to normal and buy a new tub when dealer's stock up on inventory again and are offering deals to move inventory, but how long will it take to get that point again? A year, or a few years? I guess buying a used or refurbished tub now could tide us over until we could get a good deal on a new tub a few years down the road.

[castletonia]

For a private party sale, I do think the price is a bit high considering the warranty is non-transferable.  If it was from a dealer with warranty, then the price would be fine.  If the seller has to sell due to a move, offer them a bit less and see what they say.  Voice your concern to them that even though it is a premium product that is almost new, you are basically buying it "as is".  Worst they can do is say no.

I'm not sure I would necessary say there is an age to stay away from but the age and price have to go together.  If you are staying with Hot Spring, anything 2013 or newer is using "current generation" electronics.  That one with the exterior control panel has to be a mid-2009 or older.

My opinion, unless you are comfortable not getting a hot tub until maybe 2022, you are not going to see a situation where dealers have inventory they are looking to move.  Demand is too high and that is forecasted to continue through at least next year.  I'm a Hot Spring and Caldera dealer.  I just hit my 2019 sales totals and its still August.  My showroom is empty but people are still buying at a record pace.  Also keep in mind that there are going to be price increases for 2021. 

[Spatech_tuo]

For a private party sale, I do think the price is a bit high considering the warranty is non-transferable.  If it was from a dealer with warranty, then the price would be fine.  If the seller has to sell due to a move, offer them a bit less and see what they say.  Voice your concern to them that even though it is a premium product that is almost new, you are basically buying it "as is".  Worst they can do is say no.

I'm not sure I would necessary say there is an age to stay away from but the age and price have to go together.  If you are staying with Hot Spring, anything 2013 or newer is using "current generation" electronics.  That one with the exterior control panel has to be a mid-2009 or older.

My opinion, unless you are comfortable not getting a hot tub until maybe 2022, you are not going to see a situation where dealers have inventory they are looking to move.  Demand is too high and that is forecasted to continue through at least next year.  I'm a Hot Spring and Caldera dealer.  I just hit my 2019 sales totals and its still August.  My showroom is empty but people are still buying at a record pace.  Also keep in mind that there are going to be price increases for 2021.

Well said. Its always good to counter (especially to someone clearly needing to sell) and the fact that a dealer offers an in-store warranty for refurbished spas (even if just 6 months) vs buying from a third party "as is" factors in. Demand is through the roof and that includes the used third party market but why not make a counter as Castle mentions and tell them the lack of warranty causes you concern. They may not even be aware that it doesn't transfer which would give you leverage once they were made aware.

[jjbeck12]

So I offered them $5,000 a couple of weeks ago and they said no way, $7,000 was the lowest they could go. I then went and wet tested a sovereign at a dealership to see how I liked the moto message and I wasn't super impressed by it. I really liked the jets above it that I could slouch down and have hit my shoulders. The moto message felt nice but I felt like it moved up and down too quickly, the quick movement up and down wasn't very relaxing to me. Can the speed of the movement on the moto message jets be changed? Or is it only the pressure of the jets that can be increased or decreased by the diverter? It's not like I hated the moto message, I guess I just wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be after reading so many rave reviews on them.

Also, this jetsetter is on 110 which is nice for me in that I wouldn't have to get a new panel installed. Would I be able to plug this into a regular outdoor outlet that I currently have or will I need to get a special 110 outlet installed for it? Would the power of the jets be significantly different on this 110 jetsetter compared to the sovereign I wet tested? It is set up with the salt system, is this going to be a lot more expensive to maintain then a non-salt tub?

3 days ago they lowered the price of the tub to $7,000 and just now they lowered the price to $5,500 so it looks like they are having a hard time selling it and need to get rid of it soon due to their move. I'm really thinking about buying it as a starter tub for a reasonable amount of money. We could see how much we really like and use it before spending big money on replacing our panel and getting a larger tub for the whole family. What do you guys think?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3010136872580895/ 

[Sammi]

My honest feedback is this: new spas are expensive  - one pays a  large premium for piece of mind and warranty.  I think u r doing/did the right thing with your $5,000 offer for the exact reasons you laid out. 

I'm also not impressed with the moto-massage. My father has a Vanguard and I've wet tested tubs with it and have felt underwhelmed. The diverter will slow it down or speed it up but that also means lower pressure when slowing it down.

I personally think that if u have time u can find a better spa at the same price. With the environment right now that could mean anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 years. Only u can decide the value.

Good luck with your search!

[Spatech_tuo]

So I offered them $5,000 a couple of weeks ago and they said no way, $7,000 was the lowest they could go. I then went and wet tested a sovereign at a dealership to see how I liked the moto message and I wasn't super impressed by it. I really liked the jets above it that I could slouch down and have hit my shoulders. The moto message felt nice but I felt like it moved up and down too quickly, the quick movement up and down wasn't very relaxing to me. Can the speed of the movement on the moto message jets be changed? Or is it only the pressure of the jets that can be increased or decreased by the diverter? It's not like I hated the moto message, I guess I just wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be after reading so many rave reviews on them.

Also, this jetsetter is on 110 which is nice for me in that I wouldn't have to get a new panel installed. Would I be able to plug this into a regular outdoor outlet that I currently have or will I need to get a special 110 outlet installed for it? Would the power of the jets be significantly different on this 110 jetsetter compared to the sovereign I wet tested? It is set up with the salt system, is this going to be a lot more expensive to maintain then a non-salt tub?

3 days ago they lowered the price of the tub to $7,000 and just now they lowered the price to $5,500 so it looks like they are having a hard time selling it and need to get rid of it soon due to their move. I'm really thinking about buying it as a starter tub for a reasonable amount of money. We could see how much we really like and use it before spending big money on replacing our panel and getting a larger tub for the whole family. What do you guys think?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3010136872580895/

I'm not surprised they had trouble getting $7k even in this climate. People often overvalue their "like new" used hot tub, especially when its relatively new. Its more common to value a 1-year old  spa as being worth 50-60% of its original cost so if they really paid $11k then the $5000 you offered isn't unreasonable (certainly not a "no way" type offer) but they didn't know that though it looks like reality is sinking in now.

If you do reconsider at their latest $5500 offering then you're both doing fine on the deal. If it meets your needs/desire then you may have found your spa but don't talk yourself into either.