Jallenhood

Not sure where you hail from, but our Sundance dealer here in CT qouted us the exact same amounts you posted above. I am unsure of what you meant by upgrades but our dealer was including everything (ozone, steps, coverlifter etc) except tax in that price.

My qoute last week on a Chelsee was $7,800 with everything but tax and GFI, so at 8% you are right there in regards to price. However I agree that both of our dealers seem to be on the higher side of the market in regards to the qoutes we received. Cannot comment on Tiger River, but we did wet test a Caldera Geneva and were qouted at $8,500 which included everything except tax. The Geneva is top of the line for Caldera, and we thought it was a great tub, going back to re-wet test it tomorrow. The Geneva is bigger, deeper has all the bells and whistles and is Caldera's top tier tub while the Chelsee is in Sundance's mid-tier of tubs and is missing quite a few of the options that come standard on the Geneva. If you are anti lounger, the Niagara is Caldera's top of the line no lounger tub and can be had for the same money (at least from my dealer). Also, whatever you do here, wet test everything....twice! It makes a huge difference. Good Luck

Trying to decide between a Caldera Geneva and a Sundance Cameo here, we also wet tested a Jacuzzi J470(liked it) but the dealer wanted more than the Sundance dealer did for the Optima/Cameo. In fact the model you are looking at, the J355 was qouted to us at 10k, which is $1,500 more than the Caldera and the same as the Sundance Optima/Cameo. Our wet testing experience had the Jacuzzi ( we wet tested a J480) behind the other 2 brands. Not by a large margin though. I primarily did not like the lounger as it was just to small for me to feel comfortable in ( I am 6'3"), whereas the other loungers fit me nicely. Also the foot dome in the Jacuzzi did not feel as nice as the one in the Sundance Maxxus we tested. Nothing major to pick at, but when coupled with a price disparity, little things rule the day.

From what I am reading here, it is the type of jets that matters, not the number of them. The Sundance dealer has an 06 Optima with stereo that he offered to us at $9,900. If he will come down a bit more (like 500 dollars) then the price difference between the tubs will be mitigated at least a little by the stereo, at least enough to let me think "got something" for it. Have an electrician coming by next week so I want to make a decision soon

So you think both tubs are relatively equal and there shouldn't be as big a disparity in the money? We are going to make a decision by the end of the weekend. Probably going to wet test both tubs again and make sure the prices are the best they can offer. Just feels weird buying something cheaper and having it be equal to a higher priced rival. Guess I am brainwashed by advertising to think more money is better

Hi All, Wife and I wet tested a bunch of tubs Sunday and Monday. Hot Springs Vista, Caldera Geneva, Sundance Maxxus, Artesian Pelican Bay and a Jacuzzi J480. After all the dust had settled, we both thought the Caldera and the Sundance were the best. The Vista was nice, but the Moto massage was not well received by the wife and the lounger was a poor fit for me. We also disliked the fact that the divertor controls were confusing as to what controled what. The Artesian was a disaster as the tub seemed to be not at 100%. At least I hope it was broken as 2 of the seats had very little water pressure and the dealer was unable to fix them while we were present. The Jacuzzi was also a nice tub, although I did not like the lounger. I did however like that one half of the tub was deeper/rose up higher. Those seats fit me very well. We also thought the controls were well laid out and that the jets were pleasing. We inquired into a J470 (no lounger) but were not happy with the qoute we got ($11,300 and the steps/coverlifter and ozone were extra). The Sundance Maxxus was a hit for both of us. I loved the lounger, she loved the foot massager dome. We both also enjoyed the other seats and jets. We also liked the controls and the 3rd pump/divertor. However this tub is at the extreme edge for us pricewise (qoute was $11,900 everything included except tax), so we asked after the Cameo, and were impressed with it, although no wet test was available. We were qouted 10K for a 2007 model with all the goodies included. Also offered us a 2006 Optima (no lounger) with a stereo for 10K (all the goodies included). The Caldera Geneva was also a hit for both of us. I loved the lounger, she loved the neck massager. We both liked all the other seats and jets. We thought the controls were easy to use and worked well. We were not so happy to see that the color choices are rather limited though. The qoute was for $8,500 for the Geneva with all the goodies included (ozone, steps, coverlifter etc). Both the Sundance dealer and the Caldera dealer were phenominal. Very nice, easy to talk to and no sales pressure. So do our qoutes seem close to what others are seeing? Is the Sundance that much better (1500 dollars) than the Caldera? Trying to compare relative quaity is tough I know, but any advice would be welcome.