kenc

I just purchase a NEW 2009 HS Vista with the same items that you mentioned for $8400 + tax from a dealer in AZ. The feedback I got on the forum was that I got an extremely good deal. So there may be a few hundred dollars of negotiating room in the deal that was offered to you. By the way- I have had my Spa for a few days and LOVE IT. Hot Springs spas are very well made good luck in your purchase Ken

Correct- Hot Springs has a special GFI box that comes with the spa - it takea a 50 amp 240v input and has a 20amp circuit and a 30 amp - one for the heater and another for the pumps Installation was this morning: - 2 guys ,a few dollies and 1.5 hrs later they were done. They were great and answered all my "*** engineer" questions during the install . I liked them so much I grabbed their card and will use them if I ever have to move this beastie. Ran out and got some 303 protectant and gave the cover and skirt a good rub down while it was heating up. Well I am drying off from my FIRST SOAK in my HS Vista -- took most of the day to get to 102 degrees First Impressions: Very powerfull Hydrotheapy - the Moto Message is intense, Foot jets peel your toes back, 4 neck jets in 3 seats melt away stress, Lower back seat = bye bye lower back pain The lights with all of the color options are a nice touch in the evening The control for all of the jets takes a bit of getting used to- Actually had to READ the MANUAL to make sense of it- silly me to assume that you can have ALL of the jets for a single seat on at the same time this is one quality tub - looing at the guts of it showed high quality workmanship In Summary: I am very pleased with my choice and REALLY happy that I got the HS Vista instead of one of Watkins other brands that I was concidering . Looking forward to many years of stress free evenings. Ken

Its OBVIOUS that you have never spent a summer in the ARIZONA sun for Example: have some Vinyl lounge chairs by the pool - after 2 summers -- fried - off to the dumpster.... after buying new chairs and using a canvas cover on them - chairs are fine --- cover is a bit trashed My guess is If I just use a protectant it will add a year a to to the life of the vinyl... So my thinking was spend the $80 and in 5 years by another $80 cover cap INSTEAD of another $400 cover....

went to SpaCap.com and this is a REPLACEMENT spa cover that costs as much as a foam one.... and has had bad reviews went to amazon.com and under SPA COVER CAP found what you described for $80 Still would like to hear from fellow AZ owners ....

I live in Arizona. The Sun will zap years of life out of a new spa cover I can obviously put up a gazeboo use a Spa umbrella But they will both cost more then a new cover and when the monsoons come I will have to deal with the High winds. Is there any kind of "treatment" to protect the vinyl ? Can I buy a cover for the cover that takes the brunt of the UV beating ? Would be especially interested in hearing from any AZ or NV owners .. thanks Ken

I was in the same situation. And it was a good one It really comes down to what kind of deal is being offered. If you are getting a great price then no need to "negotiate". For me I got a great price-- at the time I was not sure, so I put down a refundable deposit, did my research on this forum to see if it was a good deal ( for me I seemed to have gotten the best price for the model of the spa that has been discussed on this forum - going back 5 yrs ago !)-- then pulled the trigger. This way you have nothing to loose -- if you find out the deal is not sweet - then get the refund.--- Maybe then they would negotiate. Ken

Just paid the electrician for installing the Hot Springs GFI Box and Power cable.... My new (2009) Vista is being delivered tomorrow morning ..... Hope to have the first soak tomorrow evening Thanks for everyones help/advice during the research and shopping phase Ken

Having just gone thru the entire - spa selection and purchase cycle over the last few weeks the biggest thing I can say is WET test the spa if at all possible ... Buy if from someone that can service it locally..... Buy one of the WELL known top brands if possible Looks like your were thinking of buying a spa online.... Do you know some one who has that model and can try it ? Is there a local place that services that brand? You may save some money upfront , but you may be paying for that over the next 5 to 10 yrs..... good luck Ken

Got a $50 pump from Harbor Fright and I use it to drain my 35000 Gal pool -- I am sure it will handle my 500 Gal spa that is coming this week

I just purchased a New 2009 HS Vista here in Arizona. From the feed back I got on my post It seems I got a smoking deal --- $8400 + tax for the tub with all of the usual extras. I think the following things that I did contributed to getting a good deal. 1. Take the time to get educated - and speak the spa lingo --- Spent many hours reading this forum and asked a few questions 2. Know what you want ---- Do this by wet testing and narrowing things down- know what features are must have 3. Visit the dealers a few times -- this gives you some practice in playing the negotiations game. 4. When you are ready - know what price class of spa and what dealers /brands and models you have narrowed down to then you get serious -- What I did was this --- Shopped real hard for a tub in the mid price range of $5K-8K then mentioned that -- I would spend a little bit more to get a higher end tub .... after realizing that I was making an 10-15 yr purchase and another few grand could get me a top tier spa Then the offers came for tubs in the $8K-10K prices for the high end tubs- if no offer comes, ASK for last year inventory that is still new - that will be your BEST deal. -- Also ask what is the cash price and offer to put down 50% down to hold the great deal while you make a final decision( I asked for the weekend to decide) - and get a chance to research your deal using this forum. Yes its a lot of work to get a good deal and be happy with your purchase ---- but when you are spending a lot of $$$ it is worth the extra effort. Good luck Ken

YES it is still wrapped up in the warehouse.... OK - I am convinced that I am getting a good deal I poked around the forum and it looks like people have paid $9-11K and some paid that ~3 years ago I was caught off guard - as we were talking about what he had in 2010 models -- he just said I have 2 of these, pointing to a Vista, that are new 09's in the warehouse for $8K - and would not budge on price. Then he said the cover lifter was an additional $400--- that seemed pricey for a lifter and I had not researched this spa yet.... I did not realize at the time that the Vista was one of the biggest HS spas--- So I am very excited --- needless to say.. Delivery is in 1 week ! Big thanks to all those who asked my beginner questions.... Time to start reading the HOT TUB WATER CHEMISTRY section of the forum :)

Here is what I put a down payment on and need to decide by early next week From my Local HS dealer : New 2009 Hot Springs Vista (Sterling shell/Coastal Cabinet) with - Full 5 year/2 year warranty - Spa Cover, with cover Cradle cover lift - CD Ozinator - Start up Chemicals - Spa stairs - Lighting package - Tri - X filters - Delivery + Install Cost $8400 + tax I was not able to Wet Test this model but I did Wet Test the HS Envoy which I liked a lot and was the closest in configuration Is this as good a deal as the dealer told me it was?

PS558, Doing the math and with all things considered it seems the price that dealer quoted me is good when compared to your MSRP - $500 . They are just "puffing" the MSRP to make the 40% discount look sweeter. Thanks for your input. Ken

thanks to all for the collective wisdom. I think I will proceed as follows: Wet Test any and all Spas that ALREADY have water in them and are of interest to me at multiple dealers. To get a feel of what is available. Narrow down my selection to 1 or 2 product lines and/or dealers Further narrow down to 1 or 2 spas - and then : Negotiate the final prices etc to ensure it is in my price range and then finally ... Request a wet test of the one I intend to buy (If I have only been able to dry test or look at a catalog)and be willing to offer to pay a fee for the wet test that can be refunded if I purchase. thanks again for the advice and for the "dealers" perspective on this.

These are all GREAT points. The "vibe" I have gotten from the 4 dealers that I had the initial talks with are - sure you can wet test the tubs that have water in them ( all the high end ones ) but its a hassle to fill any of the less expensive models. So I guess it time to play a bit of hardball and apply pressure : game on !

I just wet tested a Sundance Hartford and a Caldera Niagara. Here is what I learned The sundance seat did not fit my body very well -- Neck jets did not hit my neck but more my upper back Niagara had some deep seats and the neck jets were perfect. Lesson Learned : Wet testing is a MUST - I am sold on that ... but here in lies the problem Seems that most dealers don't want to go thru the hassle of filling a floor model with water to let people kick the tires. My question to the forum is - how do you get a dealer to let you wet test a spa that you are interested in ? Thanks Ken

WOW -- That is quite a SHOCKER !!!--- Is there any way I can get the Watkins/Caldera MSRP off of the public source so I can go back to the dealer and call BS and "better negotiate" ? You see the dealer is FIRM on the prices and will not budge.... By the way what is the ball park price that you sell the tubs for ? and thanks for the eye opening revelation... got to love the web ! and this forum !!!

My local Caldera dealer uses the following pricing model: Spa's normally sell for 30% off MSRP Sale price is 40% off MSRP This is for the basic SPA, no options , a Cover and delivery. Then you add options for Ozinator ($350), steps , plus whatever, They have "option packages" My question is - am I getting a fair price ? for example 40% off sale prices for some models are : Tahitian $9400 Hawaian $7600 Moorea $8300 What do you all think ?

Yes this helps .... The Size drop is not an issues... thanks for your input. At this point in the negotiation I have more issues with my local dealer - "lack of trust" - which is a bummer at it is the only D1 dealer in my state

Yeah I get that and am looking ... What I really wanted to get was experienced peoples opinion on is $7300 a good deal for a 2003 D1 Sarina Bay and hence can I Trust what my Local D1 dealer has to say "If" I get a new one as she tells me the Used Sarina will be sold....

The Dealer tells me that a new Serena Bay is about ~$18K. I am "thinking really hard" you mentioned if I was "comfortable with the dealer" . here in lies the problem Pros: Dealer has been in business 30 yrs - was a long time Hot Springs dealer for a while and switched to D1 years ago. Has a repair shop Sales person is the owners daughter but .... Cons - Salesperson is a real wheeler dealer ( throwing out prices left and right- was mind boggling to keep up with her) , she contradicts herself quite often, I am an engineer and asks lots of tech questions and get suspicious when the answer varies. - One minute she is only making a few hundred $$ on the deal and she is doing me a favor then the next is if I don't put 50% down - site unseen TODAY (mind you she has not yet seen it either) - I loose my option and she will offer to the next deal seeker. She blames it on the owner cause he wants the $$ up front - not on consignment. - One day - Sure you can we test it , next day - I may let you wet test it - nobody does that any more blah... - When I hesitated on putting the 50% down and was ok with "losing out on the best deal" and then talked about the New Aurora for $8.3k - that price was only good for the next day or so. --- pissed me off - some lame excuse about holding up the res of here order, I said I could wait a few weeks and she said "well I have to talk to the owner " As a result I am going to wait to see to look it over, if avail - But I really like the Serena Bay - but its almost too much spa I would still like to here from a D1 Tech/Dealer to confirm that the $7300 for a 2003 Serena Bay IS THE BEST DEAL or Not

New TODAY they go for $14-18K depending on the options. This one has all the options and it one of D1 top of the luxury spas. I looked at the next lower line spas D1 Reflextion /Auroa for $8.3 K new.

I am able to buy a 2003 D1 Sarina Bay on consignment from the local AZ Dimension One dealer. I am getting the spa with : - a new cover - steps - some exercise package - lifter - starter chemicals - Full checkout - of the spa - full Detailed cleaning of spa - 1 yr warranty on pumps and heater - delivery and install for $7300 out the door... I am told the following about the previous owner : - original owner - Older retired couple - Spa has not been used much in last year and has "low miles" in general - kept good care of it - was a customer of the dealer So should I pull the trigger ? Thanks, Ken