bigger tub? 3 year old Used Coast Spas Mirage Curve

[uofmrapper]

Hi all - I have been looking around for some time (joined a couple years back but due to other reasons have had to put off the hot tub purchase til now) and am trying to decide on a tub.  I'd love to go a little bigger than the 8' x 8' for my family of 6 (2 adults, 4 kids) so I've been looking at the 7.5/8' x 10' tubs.  Budget is like maybe $10K but would like to keep it less if possible.  Obviously it will be tough to get a quality tub at that price.  I like the Artesian Isla Margarita but wife isn't sold on the bench that cuts through the middle next to the lounger.  Next choice might be the South Seas 965L since I probably can't afford a Caldera Cantabria or others in that range. 

So I found a 3 year old used Coast Mirage Curve for sale locally.  Went to see it last night and seems like it's in good condition except half the LEDs are out (would require this to be fixed before purchasing).  Looks like it has Ozone.  Seller is asking $7500, says they paid $12K (talked dealer down from $16K.....) 3 years back.  I saw a new one at the Coast dealer recently with a sign that said $17K.  I've read mixed things about Coast and buying a used tub in general.  But tack on $500 for an inspection and moving charges and $8000 seems like a decent deal. 

Looking for thoughts from the helpful folks on here.  Thanks!

[d00nut]

No warranty, $8k is a lot for no warranty.  Give you an idea, if I were a Coast dealer, and it was a tub we normally sold for $12k, $7-8k is what I would probably ask for it (3-5 years old) but we would put a new cover, ozone, and circ pump at the minimum.

I'm guessing you need at least a new cover (or expect to replace it in 2 years if it was maintained) and a new filter.  Plus the move (pay for a good one... that's a huge freaking spa, protect it!)

I'm not a Coast dealer.  I've seen them up close.  They look like they are built pretty well.  I don't have much experience in reliability.  The only thing I will say is the curve is really neat in one sense, but it typically does make ordering covers a pain... and more $$$.

Why did all the lights fail?  I imagine they can force the dealer to fix it under warranty before they sell it.

Also... why are they selling it?

[uofmrapper]

That's good information.  Yeah I'm worried about the no warranty either, especially w/ the LEDs already going out.  I would have him fix the LEDs before buying since it should be under warranty for him still but I saw on Coast's warranty that it is non-transferable.  I didn't like the cover it had - one piece came off and then it folded back like a normal cover from a square tub.  it was weird but I didn't get a good look at it. 

They are selling it because they said they are wanting to get a pool instead for family purposes.  Seems legitimate I guess. 

[castletonia]

I'm guessing the lights would not even be warranty anymore regardless.  Most manufacturers only give 1-2 years on LED lights to begin with.  I don't necessarily have an issue with the product Coast builds but I would have issue spending that much on a used tub that is not from one of the "premium" manufacturers and that has no warranty.  Not sure what part of the country you are in but I don't think there are a lot of Coast dealers so support may be limited.  Also, that cover will have to be ordered from Coast unless you can find someone willing to order it as a custom cover and take responsibility if they make a mistake.

Do you have the option to finance the amount that goes beyond $10k?  If so, maybe consider going that route to get into something you really like and can have confindence knowing it is new, has full warranty and will be supported for years to come.  If not, nothing wrong with your typical 8x8 hot tub.  Take into consideration how often you will have all 6 family members in the hot tub together?  I don't know about you, but my kids (12 and 15) and not that excited about soaking with mom and dad.

[uofmrapper]

I'm in Michigan and there is a Coast dealer semi-nearby where the seller got it from.  But honestly we had already checked out that dealer and weren't terribly impressed (wanted to bash other brands, "get a deal this weekend", etc) so I wouldn't get ecstatic to get support from them.  But I've heard others mention they were good so maybe just me.

As far as the size, I would guess an 8' x 8' would probably be fine for most of the time, though the kids are young (all under age 11) so they are looking forward to it as much, if not more, than we are.  I expect them to use it quite a bit, especially in the summer. 

I can't find much about the South Seas 965L but that's what I'm leaning towards at the moment.  Only seemed to find one guy on here who got one and loved it at first but then got frustrated with the Frog @ease system.  I guess I would go with the Diamon AOP that is available instead but out of the 4 Artesian/South Seas dealers around me, none of them have one in stock to check out but they do have an 860L which seems pretty close.