Original > Hot Tub Forum

First Time Purchaser Help

(1/16) > >>

aug0211:
Hi everyone,

First time poster here. Have read through existing threads (including the beating the dead horse portion) and would like to arm myself with a bit more information before I get out there into the show rooms.

Grew up with a Hot Spring at my parents’ place (they still have it - going strong for 15 years now). My wife and I are thinking it’s time to add one at our place. We don’t want to spend money just to spend it, though I am normally one to pay a bit more to have more potential/features/quality/reliability in a product. The main source of buyers’ remorse that I am susceptible to is “I wish I had added that feature!” With that said, our budget is in the $10-15k range (and if there is something mind blowing that is a “must have,” we can go up from there.

Our daughter has cerebral palsy and we are hopeful for potential use down the road to help her relax her muscles (high muscle tone). There will also be some assistive devices in the tub (daughter is deaf with cochlear implants, so water-proof cochlear implants will be in the tub - people use these in pools all the time, but I’d like to consider harshness of water in the decision of chlorine vs salt). We are a four person family and entertain often, so a larger tub would be preferred.

We’re located in Central Ohio and year-round use is a must-have for us.

Before going in to see the dealers, I’d like to arm myself with some info so that I am not eaten alive :-) The research I’ve done so far indicates that hot tub purchasing is not too different from car purchasing, in that there are many factors that can influence pricing (product, inventory, dealer location/shipping cost, demand, etc), negotiation is to be expected, and test drives (wet tests) are a must. I generally like to have my info together ahead of time, to avoid long, drawn-out trips where dealers are selling me on whatever they have on the floor and are trying to move. Of course, on-site experience is critical but prep ahead of time is important to me.

Questions I can think of (please add your own questions and answers that I should be asking but don’t even know to ask yet):

* Brands - what all should we consider/what is trusted and quality? So far I’ve short listed Marquis, Hot Spring, Caldera, Bullfrog, and Jacuzzi - but I honestly don’t know much, these are just names that seem to be popular/trusted on the higher end of things
* Specific models? We like fancy lights and gadgets and all that, though hydrotherapy is also a big factor for our daughter’s future use. Size is a factor, too (6 or 7? 8? people), with budget of around $15k or less if possible (can stretch if required)
* Chlorine vs. salt water?
* Dealers - any recommendations (or warnings) about dealers in the Central OH area? So far, I’m aware of Scioto Valley, Leisure Spa Backyard Living, Recreations Outlet
* What else am I not asking that I should be asking?
Thanks to everyone for the help!

Spatech_tuo:
You have a very good short list. Just be careful that you don't fall in love with any one in particular BEFORE you wet test.

Sam:
Yep, sounds like you are are pretty prepared.  Those are all good brands.  I would personally recommend staying away from saltwater.  It sounds good in a sales pitch but everything I've seen and heard has been negative, outside of one dealer who posts here who has had great success with them.  I think there are other less expensive and more reliable ways to achieve the benefits of salt without the corrosive nature of salt.

The only other thing I would add:  While it's true that some dealers in our industry come across as the classic "used car sales" type of place, don't walk in the door assuming that they all are.  There are quite a few great, family run operations that don't play those games and truly try to sell a customer the best spa for them and start with a very fair price up front.  Not all dealers jack their price up in the hopes you don't negotiate.  I'm not suggesting that you don't try to get a better deal, more so that it may be a minimal amount at some places compared to others.

I commonly run into customers who hammer me on price and I come up with say $500 or something and they are offended because the guy down the road took $5000 off.  The truth is that the guy down the road lied to them, but sometimes it's difficult for customers to understand that.  I can pretty much assure you that any dealer saying that they are knocking $5k off the price of a hot tub is most likely feeding you b.s.  We don't have those type of margins in our industry that we could discount by that much and still stay in business.  People really want to feel like they got an amazing deal are superior shoppers. Some unscrupulous dealers prey upon that instinct.  I refuse to play that game.

aug0211:
Thanks, all, for the feedback already.

We were able to see Hot Spring and Jacuzzi tubs this weekend. We’re interested in the Grandee NXT and the Envoy NXT (can’t decide if we want a lounger or the more open space - will have to wet test of course).

Also saw Jacuzzi, though we had wanted to see a 500 series (J-575), but the dealer did not have any 500s on the floor. Said he just didn’t sell them because they were too pricey. We understand there’s an upcharge for aesthetics and maybe not so much for function... but we’re paying over $10k for a luxury item, so the whole thing is kind of vain if you think about it, so it doesn’t seem crazy to me to say we want more lights and atmosphere to help create a relaxing environment.

We’ll go back to wet test the two NXTs and probably will wet test a 400 series Jacuzzi. I told the salesman that I’m nervous it won’t really give Jacuzzi a fair comparison, be he’s trying to convince us that we won’t notice the difference.

I also came across D1 (Dimension One) last night while researching. Wow - those look interesting. Any thoughts on the brand? I understand they’re under the same parent company as Jacuzzi. Their Bay lineup is enticing with interesting layouts. Any feedback on D1?

Tman122:

--- Quote from: aug0211 on December 03, 2018, 08:41:11 pm ---I also came across D1 (Dimension One) last night while researching. Wow - those look interesting. Any thoughts on the brand? I understand they’re under the same parent company as Jacuzzi. Their Bay lineup is enticing with interesting layouts. Any feedback on D1?

--- End quote ---

As good or better than those you have listed.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page