I've learned so much from reading all the posts here; I'm hoping someone can help me affirm that I'm making the right choice. After over a year of researching and debating my husband and I finally decided to invest in a hot tub. We were hoping to save a little $$$ by getting an '09 model, though. We only have one dealer in town, who sells Caldera. (Hot Springs dealer went out of business last yr, not sure why). The Calderas were very nice, but a little out of our price range, plus the only one available to wet test was a model we were not interested in at all. However, the dealer bought a used Envoy from a man who bought it new from the going-out-of-business HS place in Nov. '09. He later decided for whatever reason he did not want it. Caldera dealer will sell it to me for $5500 tax-free. This will include a new cover, lift (not sure which one), stairs, start-up chemicals, delivery, set-up- I'm pretty sure everything except the electician's fee. He assures me it works perfectly, and when I expressed concern about no warranty he said he'd give me a 1 yr warranty since Calderra and Hot Springs are "sister" companies. Is this a good deal? I'm thinking it is, but of course I'm buying used and there are no guarantees that it won't be a lemon. Because it's not a Caldera, I can not wet test it. I have though, used my in-laws HS Sovereign many times, and they seem quite similiar. ???
* In your opinion, is this a grab-it-before-it's gone kind of deal? (I don't have the seriel number, but I do believe it to be quite new. The control panal thing is on the top? which my father-in-law's HS dealer said was something HS started around 6 months or so ago. Is this true?)
* How should I decontaminate or in other words, REALLY clean this thing? I've got young kids that I want to protect for any germy stuff. Caldera man said he'd "clean it up" but how do I know it's really been cleaned?
* Is there anything I should look for that could be red flags that might cause me problems down the line?
* Any other advice on buying/owning a used tub?
Thanks so much for any information you can give me- thank heaven for places like this where real people can get real answers!