Thursday, June 9, 2011

Buying Second Hand Spas

So your thinking of buying a second hand hot tub? Hopefully, we can offer a few guidelines to point you in the right direction.

The big problem with second hand spas is that you have no idea how long they will last. Hot tubs are not like cars where you can simply take a look at the mileage and get a feel for wear and tear. There are no service logs! How do you know the spa you are buying is not already faulty? Well, in short, you don't!

So why buy a used hot tub then? Well, I suppose because they are a lot cheaper than buying full price in a showroom. Although, hot tubs are a lot cheaper than you used to be. There are loads of websites selling brand new hot tubs at lower prices than dealers sell second hand ones for!

I would strongly recommend buying a second hand spa from a hot tub dealer. Avoid eBay at all costs! Dealers are likely to have refurbished any second hand spa before offering it on the market again. If you are lucky, the may also offer a small warranty.

Make sure you research any spa you purchase. Don't buy a spa that is no longer supported by the original manufacturer. You will struggle to find parts if things go wrong – and trust me, I have been selling spas for 5 years, thing do go wrong with hot tubs!

Attempt to to find the spas replacement parts on the internet. Look for the pumps, control system and the heaters. SpaFix Direct offer a wide range of parts. If you can not find the part on their, its probably no longer available!

Again, this is another great reason to buy from a dealer only. You can be certain that you will be able to get ahold of spare parts (so long as the dealer doesn't go bust any time soon!)