New or Refurbished?

[dl955]

My wife and I are in the market for a hot tub and have never owned one.
We've made our way around to a couple of the local dealers and tonight went to the Master Spa expo. I can say the more we look the more I realize I don't know what I'm getting into.
The Master Spa rrep did a great job at selling us on their said "chemical free" low maintenance, self-cleaning system. Is it true that I can actually have a hot tub without using chlorine or bromine, etc? They also claimed I would only have to change the water once a year...I remain skeptical. They offered the Master clarity spa cls 738l for $5900+tax.
A friendly local dealer has a fully loaded 2005 Catilina 92"x92" refurbished spa for $4500 cash. Seems like great value but I don't know how reputable the brand is.
These are our top picks so far. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[rosewoodsteel]

Hi! Welcome to the wonderful world of hot tubs.  There are many great spas out there.  I would keep on looking until you find the tub you really like. I don't know much about the spas you mentioned, but tubs made by Marquis, Bullfrog, Sundance, Artic, Hot Springs, etc., are well made and have many satisfied owners.  They also support their products with top notch warranties.     Take your time and continue your reseach!

[Tman122]

Master Spa, deceptive sales practices. Mediocre at best hot tubs. Catalina, better than average hot tubs good value, great company.

Who else is in your area.

You can have a tub without using chlorine or bromine as long as you don't mind dirty stinky water.

[rosewoodsteel]

$4500 for a 9 year old refurbished spa sounds like a lot of money to me.   What was the original price on that tub?    "Refurbished" is a very broad term, imo.  If you are truly interested in that spa, I would ask the dealer for a breakdown of what was replaced / refurbished and what kind of warranty he will provide.

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[dl955]

 Thanks for the replies!
The refurbished tub was originally $12000 it's fully loaded and 92x92" with all the bells and whistles - stereo, led lighting all around, water fall, bucket seats with arm rests, etc. One of the pumps was replaced as well as the electronics and head rests. The whole tub has been tested and he has a 30 day warranty included with the tub. He was asking $5500 and I said I wasn't interested initially as it was outside out budget. He said he'd take $4500 cash. Seems like a straight up guy, I can say I'd feel a lot better about buying from him than the master spas sales rep at the expo. We're trying to be patient but we don't want to miss out on what might be the right tub