7 to 10 grand budget what can we get? So Confused

[Spayedkitty]

Hello,

We are just beginning our hot tub search and I am very thankful to have found this site.  A little info., this will be our first purchase.  We are hoping not to spend over 10 grand with set up and taxes, prefer lower if possible.  I did not realize that hot tub shopping is like car shopping.  Actually I think it's worse.  At least with a vehicle we usually have an idea of what we want ford vs chevy for example and sticker price.  With hot tubs, we have no idea on brand or price.  Also, my husband is leaving a lot of this up to me in the way of research.  I hate sales people!  I am almost considering just buying from Sam's so I don't have to deal with sales people and driving all around.  We only have 2 dealers in our town, Sundance and Royal Spa.  We haven't visited the local dealers yet.  The rest are over an hour away.

We live in Indiana.

The tub will be placed outside.

It's just the 2 of us but we want seating options and some room.  I'm thinking something that would seat 5 possibly 6.

A lounger is a must, I think anyway.

Strong concerns over full foam because of rodents and repairs.  My husband hates repairing stuff with sprayed insulation.  If we don't get full foam we plan on adding some extra insulation to the pipes and possibly other areas.  Having an access panel for repairs is a MUST, we don't want to have to flip the thing over.

We live in a rural area near farms and where corn is processed so we have mice around.  Putting poison out is NOT an option.

My husband will be able to make most if not all repairs.

The hot tub will most likely be on our patio area which is surrounded by our garage on 2 sides and the other side is our house and a privacy fence so it would be sheltered a good deal from wind.  I am thinking we will put down sand, gravel, and possibly a hot tub pad but we haven't fully decided yet.  Any input on this? 

My husband will be doing all of the electrical.  He's an electrician.

We will just have to have a company help with delivery and moving the tub into place.

I have fibro. and spinal problems.  Basically I hurt all over, have muscle spasms, joint pain, arthritis, and muscle knots.  I will need a tub that will also help my neck.  I need deep tissue massage but honestly anything would be better than nothing at this point.  I'm 5'8 and my husband is 6 foot.

We don't have to have a stereo or tv.

We would like some nice lighting but it's not a deal breaker if it's not the most incredible lighting.

A water feature would be nice but it isn't a must have.

We are going to be out of town this week so plan to stop at a place that sells Cal Spas and Caldera.  I am almost afraid to even look, afraid that what I end up liking will be out of our budget. The Cal spas seems a little generic online and lacking jets.

We plan on paying cash and making the purchase by the end of this year.  We could finance but don't want to spend that much on a spa, I mean I think over 10 grand is a lot to spend at least for us.  We could even pay straight cash, not a bank card if that would save us more money.

I absolutely dread dealing with sales people.  I don't know I could see us going with Sam's.  They have one for around 7 grand, it's their largest one with bells and whistles and I wouldn't have to deal with sales people.  I would just have to pay a company to help with placement.

Please help and advise.  I don't want to waste our time looking at dealers in Indiana if there is little chance of getting something that meets our needs within our price range.  We are not opposed to buying a floor model if that would save us money.

Are the Sam's spas that terrible?  Unless we get Sundance or Royal spa we would have to pay a lot to have another brand delivered and set up because we don't have any other dealers close by.

Our friend just purchased a Royal Spa Sultan for 9 grand, it was a floor model.  We were blown away by the power of the jets.  She said it would have been around 15 grand if not for being a display.  We know that we want something as powerful as the spa she just bought but we can't pay 15 grand.  Are the ones from Sam's as powerful, if not I don't want to even consider one of those now that I tried hers.

Thanks in advance.  I'm sure you receive similar questioning all the time. I am so overwhelmed at the brands, choices, prices and such.

[wmccall]

Welcome neighbor, here are a few early morning thoughts.

Hello,
  I did not realize that hot tub shopping is like car shopping.  Actually I think it's worse........... I hate sales people!  I am almost considering just buying from Sam's so I don't have to deal with sales people and driving all around.  We only have 2 dealers in our town, Sundance and Royal Spa.  We haven't visited the local dealers yet.  The rest are over an hour away.

I understand the analogy and the feeling, but remember this. You don't have to have a hot tub, life will go on if you walk out the door.  The market isn't that great and you have the advantage.  Your not going to get them to sell you a hot tub below their cost very often,
 but you are in charge.  Hottub dealers get lots of looky loos and when they know your serious they tend to get serious.  Don't be afraid to walk out and come back, or let them know your visiting other dealers.  When they do something you don't like, let them know.  Good dealers know people who are comfortable with their dealers make for great customers and referrals


We live in Indiana.

The tub will be placed outside.

It's just the 2 of us but we want seating options and some room.  I'm thinking something that would seat 5 possibly 6.

This is good thinking. Many people tend to buy a big hot tub thinking their house will be party central.  14 years later it is just my wife and I in the tub 99% of the time. We still use our tub 300+ days a year. Its nice to have room to move around, but our 2nd tub is a little smaller, but still called a 5 person tub. 


A lounger is a must, I think anyway.

Strong concerns over full foam because of rodents and repairs.  My husband hates repairing stuff with sprayed insulation.  If we don't get full foam we plan on adding some extra insulation to the pipes and possibly other areas.  Having an access panel for repairs is a MUST, we don't want to have to flip the thing over.

We live in a rural area near farms and where corn is processed so we have mice around.  Putting poison out is NOT an option.




I have fibro. and spinal problems.  Basically I hurt all over, have muscle spasms, joint pain, arthritis, and muscle knots.  I will need a tub that will also help my neck.  I need deep tissue massage but honestly anything would be better than nothing at this point.  I'm 5'8 and my husband is 6 foot.

You here a lot about wet testing, I strongly support the idea and was fortunate enough to have a dealer with great selection. The tub we ended up with isn't the one I would have thought just looking.  I'm 6'1 and my wife is 5'5"  It took a little while to find one we were both comfortable with and that has paid off.  As I mentioned it is her and I 99% of the time and frequently if one doesn't go out, the other won't either.


We don't have to have a stereo or tv.

We would like some nice lighting but it's not a deal breaker if it's not the most incredible lighting.

A water feature would be nice but it isn't a must have.

Most of the time we are sitting in a quiet tub relaxing, no jets, water features, or lights.


We are going to be out of town this week so plan to stop at a place that sells Cal Spas and Caldera.  I am almost afraid to even look, afraid that what I end up liking will be out of our budget. The Cal spas seems a little generic online and lacking jets.

We plan on paying cash and making the purchase by the end of this year.  We could finance but don't want to spend that much on a spa, I mean I think over 10 grand is a lot to spend at least for us.  We could even pay straight cash, not a bank card if that would save us more money.

I absolutely dread dealing with sales people.  I don't know I could see us going with Sam's.  They have one for around 7 grand, it's their largest one with bells and whistles and I wouldn't have to deal with sales people.  I would just have to pay a company to help with placement.




Please help and advise.  I don't want to waste our time looking at dealers in Indiana if there is little chance of getting something that meets our needs within our price range.  We are not opposed to buying a floor model if that would save us money.

Are the Sam's spas that terrible?  Unless we get Sundance or Royal spa we would have to pay a lot to have another brand delivered and set up because we don't have any other dealers close by.

Our friend just purchased a Royal Spa Sultan for 9 grand, it was a floor model.  We were blown away by the power of the jets.  She said it would have been around 15 grand if not for being a display.  We know that we want something as powerful as the spa she just bought but we can't pay 15 grand.  Are the ones from Sam's as powerful, if not I don't want to even consider one of those now that I tried hers.

Thanks in advance.  I'm sure you receive similar questioning all the time. I am so overwhelmed at the brands, choices, prices and such.

BTW,  I am very happy with my Sundance spa and my dealer.  I just wanted to throw that out there since its in your area. 

[BullFrogSpasMN]

"I absolutely dread dealing with sales people.  I don't know I could see us going with Sam's.  They have one for around 7 grand, it's their largest one with bells and whistles and I wouldn't have to deal with sales people."


Now is probably a good time to let you know that 17 out of the top 20 contributors to this board are sales people, some damn good reputable ones too that I have met personally...good luck with your purchase

[Conine2965]

I'm shopping too and some sales people are some not. I've tried to do some research online and avoid the bad sales people in my area. I would stick to a place that has a service dept avoid the big box stores.

[Fkpm]

Hi, I wanted to say welcome to a fellow newbie. It looks like I am just a little ahead of you in the hot tub journey. We began looking for our first hot tub about 3 or 4 months ago and just bought one a two weeks ago and are still waiting for delivery, so when I read your post I could commiserate.

I am no expert, so listen to others on most things, but I can add my own newbie insights.

I live in small town Connecticut. There are only two nearby dealers, but we travelled to about 4 other dealers that were in a 100 Mike radius. Everyone of them was willing to deliver and set up where we live. They wanted our business and were willing to make the effort. Don't be afraid to call dealers up and ask if they will do this. I suspect many will want your business. (At least for the sale, ask about service).

As far as the dealers, I will say. We went to 6 dealers and saw a traveling dealer at a Home Show. Of the 7, I got a good feeling about 5 of them, so like anything else, there some good and bad, but mostly people are okay.

In your price range, you should be able to find quite a few options at least near the top of your range. We ended up going with a Sundance at about $11.5 out the door. We saw plenty of good models from around 9 to 14k.

We did upgrade the cover to the most energy efficient one we could.

As you do comparisons don't forget to look at energy efficiency - you don't want to get a low cost tub only to find that it's costing too much to heat.

Anyway, these were the issues we had. As I said above, I am a newbie like you. Once my tub arrives and is up and running, I am sure I'll find out that somethings I did were right and others wrong.

Anyway, good luck.

[Tman122]

We have both Royal and Sundance in my area. I would go with Sundance over Royal. Don't let anyone talk you out of fully insulated. If it was a terrible idea it wouldn't be used, and it still is. It helps with power consumption.

Narrow your search down to the models from each available dealer you are interested in. Research the web sites of the manufacturers. See if a wet test of the models that interest you is possible. Get a feel for the dealer this way. Don't let a salesman push you around or fill you with misinformation.

A big box store tub will disappoint you in the future with reduced longevity, higher power consumption, more noise and less reliability. Like anything else you almost always get what you pay for.

[Spayedkitty]

I would like to apologize for saying in my original post that I hate sales reps/people.  It's just been my personal experience, none have been honest and I dislike playing the numbers game.  So dealers, please chime in and hopefully change this to a positive for me.

I did contact a company today about a Caldera 10,318.00 for a new Makena with cover, steps, start up chemicals and delivery/set up.  This price includes tax for a new display model.  I don't know if this is a fair price or not.  The dealer is an hour and a half away.  This dealer has great reviews and was actually very nice and informative.  It says in my quote that a concrete pad is required.  Do these have to be placed on a concrete pad?  I just really don't like the numbers game.  I mean it's listed as free delivery, free cover, free steps, free chemicals.  I know it's not free.  I was also told this is the lowest possible price even if I were to bring cash in.  This spa has speakers but if I wanted to play music with it I would have to pay and additional 500.00.

[Spayedkitty]

We have both Royal and Sundance in my area. I would go with Sundance over Royal. Don't let anyone talk you out of fully insulated. If it was a terrible idea it wouldn't be used, and it still is. It helps with power consumption.

 Thank you for your response.  I am going to guess that labor for a full foam spa repair would be much more costly than one that is not full foam.  Am I wrong?  Is there any other reason you would not recommend a Royal Spa?  I've seen videos of mice infesting full foam spas and it being extremely costly.  Can you comment on instances such as this?  I wonder if energy consumption of a non fully insulated spa would balance out in the end because of lower labor costs on repairs?

[Spayedkitty]

Now is probably a good time to let you know that 17 out of the top 20 contributors to this board are sales people, some damn good reputable ones too that I have met personally...good luck with your purchase

Thank you and I certainly hope to meet some wonderful sales people that can change my mind.  Do you think I could find a 5 or 6 seat Bull Frog spa in my 7 to 10 grand price range?  I am interested in Bull Frog as well, only the nearest dealer is 2 hours away.

[Hottubguy]

We have both Royal and Sundance in my area. I would go with Sundance over Royal. Don't let anyone talk you out of fully insulated. If it was a terrible idea it wouldn't be used, and it still is. It helps with power consumption.

Narrow your search down to the models from each available dealer you are interested in. Research the web sites of the manufacturers. See if a wet test of the models that interest you is possible. Get a feel for the dealer this way. Don't let a salesman push you around or fill you with misinformation.


A big box store tub will disappoint you in the future with reduced longevity, higher power consumption, more noise and less reliability. Like anything else you almost always get what you pay for.

+1 to this. And I'm one of those dreaded salespeople lol

[Jacuzzi Jim]

Now is probably a good time to let you know that 17 out of the top 20 contributors to this board are sales people, some damn good reputable ones too that I have met personally...good luck with your purchase

Thank you and I certainly hope to meet some wonderful sales people that can change my mind.  Do you think I could find a 5 or 6 seat Bull Frog spa in my 7 to 10 grand price range?  I am interested in Bull Frog as well, only the nearest dealer is 2 hours away.

  It would be worth a look, we sell the R7/R7L at 9600.00   It's been dang great selling spa!

[Isaac-1]

If you are in a remote area with no dealers, plan to do your own maintenance and have cold weather, have you considered Arctic Spa's they are built in Canada so are designed for cold climates they will also sell direct if you don't have a dealership nearby (or at least they would a couple of years ago when I was considering one)

[Tman122]

If you are in a remote area with no dealers, plan to do your own maintenance and have cold weather, have you considered Arctic Spa's they are built in Canada so are designed for cold climates they will also sell direct if you don't have a dealership nearby (or at least they would a couple of years ago when I was considering one)

All reputable brands are designed for cold climate.

When 99% of the repairs are in the equipment bay the fully insulated tub versus the non fully insulated will be the same cost and difficulty to repair. If on the slim chance there is a repair in the foam, yes, it will be more difficult to repair. But a skilled tech can locate and repair in the foam with out any problems in a bit more time.

The advantages of full foam are, quieter, more energy efficient, and the plumbing is held more secure for less chances of line leaks.

In 30 years of repair I have only tipped 3 tubs on there sides to repair them.

This really should be a non factor as long as you purchasing from a reputable dealer from a reputable manufacturer. And sales guys who sell on this should be avoided.

Isaac, don't you have an almost 20 yo full foam tub? Done any repairs in the foam? How difficult was it?

[wmccall]

"I absolutely dread dealing with sales people.  I don't know I could see us going with Sam's.  They have one for around 7 grand, it's their largest one with bells and whistles and I wouldn't have to deal with sales people."


Now is probably a good time to let you know that 17 out of the top 20 contributors to this board are sales people, some damn good reputable ones too that I have met personally...good luck with your purchase

Joe consumer and 14 year hot tub owner here

[bud16415]

Not a dealer here I must be one of the 3 or so real people. Lol.

My 2 cents are this and it was the hardest thing for me to wrap my hands around. A hot tub is a luxury item. No one has to have one it is like a diamond ring more than an automobile. Because it is a luxury item and you sound like me in that most of the things we buy are things we need more than we want and the cost seems to be logical for what we are getting. Then there is the competition between makers that normally drives prices down. What I have found with hot tubs is the buyer has little to no knowledge about the product. And most of what makes a hot tub work we never get to see. Just about everyone selling tubs will recommend the brand they sell as being best. It is easy to make a tub attractive from the outside or adding a lot of little jets and claiming more jets for less cost.

Like you we had our budget in mind and in two seconds of shopping I could see she was gravitating way out of our budget. We foolishly thought we could get the tub of our dreams for around 6k. and there are a lot of tubs out there around that price.

We found a sales guy that seemed to know his tubs and had been in the business for years and I pretty much told him we were not buying a tub that day and had plans on visiting every dealer in town about 4. I asked him if he was willing to drop the sales pitch and just straight talk about tubs. It was slow and I think he saw I was a person that might buy something if I didn’t think I was being sold to. So we dug into it. he showed me a 5k tub that looked ok and said he sells them to people with rentals they are cheap and have hot water and the jets are ok and the overall construction is mid grade. He said used daily he would expect the tub would last 8 to 10 years max if well maintained with a few repairs over that time. He said we were free to ask he will fill one when we are ready and we can try it out. We went up the price line and eventually landed at the tub we eventually bought for 12k. it was deeper and larger better construction more features better quality of the components etc. as it should be for twice the money. He told us with good maintenance and a few repairs along the way he sees these tubs going 15 to 20 years. All that he told us seemed honest and correct. That and I saw my lady fell in love with the larger tub 8x8 with 6 seats. We went home and talked about it and looked at other tubs and the rational came over me we are not buying this because we need it we are buying it because we are treating ourselves to a luxury. We buy cars to be practical, washing machines, even clothing. We even go on modest vacations and eat out at places that won’t break the bank. The idea of spending more than we had to just because it was a luxury we knew we would enjoy seemed like a foreign thought. I knew what would likely happen is we would buy less and in a couple years we would want to upgrade. We have some friends with tubs and have wanted one for many years of our own. The light bulb came on for me and you know life is short and you worked hard to get to the point you can splurge on something just for yourselves and something you don’t even need. Like you we didn’t want all the built in sound and Tv and gimmicks. But we wanted what we wanted just for us. I told her lets expand the budget and be the people that when our friends try our tub they will be saying wish we spent more rather than us saying that about their tub. Buy a Bluetooth sound thing and make your deck and spa area into the place you would rather be at than going on vacation.