Another newbie overwhelmed by brands, dealers, etc.

[Spatech_tuo]

My goal when researching tubs is to find the toyota camry of hot tubs.  I don't need fancy things like waterfalls, light shows and radios.  I'd like a reliable, straight forward, but nice hot tub that will give me many years of trouble free service.  In turn I will treat it like I do my cars.  All maintenance will be done on or ahead of time. 

Sounds to me like a Nordic tub would be right for you.

Nordic is more like the Nissan Versa IMO. A decent no-frills entry level model (that's not a knock on either).

[tlhfirelion]

My goal when researching tubs is to find the toyota camry of hot tubs.  I don't need fancy things like waterfalls, light shows and radios.  I'd like a reliable, straight forward, but nice hot tub that will give me many years of trouble free service.  In turn I will treat it like I do my cars.  All maintenance will be done on or ahead of time. 

Sounds to me like a Nordic tub would be right for you.

The closest dealer is too far from me to be an option.  Thanks for your reply. 

[tlhfirelion]

Just an FYI.  The dealer that you buy from is the only dealer that is obligated to perform service work, warranty or not, on your hot tub.  A dealer 1.5 hours away will likely charge service call fees related to the distance from their store but also will not likely be able to be as responsive to service needs as a local dealer would.

Marquis makes a quality hot tub.  The Marquis V84L and Reward would probably be the ones most comparable.

I’m glad you mentioned that, I did wonder how that worked.  Glad to hear marquis makes a good tub, their dealer is the closest to me.  Now if I can just get them to return my phone call inquiring about price.  🙄

[tlhfirelion]

Just an FYI.  The dealer that you buy from is the only dealer that is obligated to perform service work, warranty or not, on your hot tub.  A dealer 1.5 hours away will likely charge service call fees related to the distance from their store but also will not likely be able to be as responsive to service needs as a local dealer would.

Because of that, it's worth going back to the original dealer to see what the differences are... if any in the deal.  Maybe they will be flexible?

I made a deal.  A dealer 5 hours away from me was undercutting me by $1500 on the same spa.  They didn't include financing... and wrote in the contract quote that they would charge $600 for warranty labor and they would be able to do the work within 3-4 months of being told about it...

I met the customer halfway but told them I wouldn't charge a thing in warranty.  Everybody wins

Effort goes a long way sometimes.  This research I’m doing for hot tubs is like a dadgum onion.  Layer after layer and so much crying.  Lol. I made the mistake of watching a video on the different types of insulation and manifolds, etc....holy crap what a nightmare to work on ANY hot tub.  If anyone could recommend a tub that won’t ever leak that would be great!  Lol

[Tman122]

Effort goes a long way sometimes.  This research I’m doing for hot tubs is like a dadgum onion.  Layer after layer and so much crying.  Lol. I made the mistake of watching a video on the different types of insulation and manifolds, etc....holy crap what a nightmare to work on ANY hot tub.  If anyone could recommend a tub that won’t ever leak that would be great!  Lol

There's no such thing. Some are less susceptible than others but, Get a good brand that is local, and expect 12-20 years. With a little service in between.

[dishdude]

IMO, if you're handy and don't mind doing research on your own just buy from Costco. You'll pay thousands more from a local dealer, they don't always know what they're talking about and everything thing will be a headache anyway.

My Hot Spring has been nothing but service call after service call, I thought all issued would finally be resolved yesterday but no dice. And the dealer's service company hit my card for another $50 warranty service call.

Not worth it, IMO

[Tman122]

they don't always know what they're talking about and everything thing will be a headache anyway.
Not worth it, IMO

 
Dealers may not all be the best and some don't know what they are talking about. But every person at Costco doesn't know what they are talking about.

[Sam]

IMO, if you're handy and don't mind doing research on your own just buy from Costco. You'll pay thousands more from a local dealer, they don't always know what they're talking about and everything thing will be a headache anyway.

My Hot Spring has been nothing but service call after service call, I thought all issued would finally be resolved yesterday but no dice. And the dealer's service company hit my card for another $50 warranty service call.

Not worth it, IMO

Your implying that a costco spa will be as energy efficient, clean, and therapeutic as your hot spring and nothing could be further from the truth.  Costco spas are cheaper because they use cheaper components and don't have to have a service department or knowledgeable people answering the phones.  It sucks that your spa has had lots of problems, but let's not imply that a costco spa will have anywhere near the therapy, efficiency, water treatment, or even aesthetics as a hot spring.

[btmonroe]

I would look at the Marquis 84.  I loved that spa, and came really close to pulling the the trigger on it.  Decided to come back down into my original budget and got the Hot Springs Rhyhtm (Which I love).  But the jets on the Marquis were awesome and lots of control.  I want to say the 84 was priced to me about 8400 and that was with the light package on it.  For the additional money from the HS Rhythm to the Lime Light series, the lime light offered 2 more years of warranty, and also the circulation pump, and a few more jets.  I think you will find you get more with the Marquis and hopefully less than $12k.  As you can tell I really loved that tub, but decided to stick with my original budget.