I warn about this elsewhere on this website, but it’s especially true when it comes to USED hot tubs because logically, they’re more prone to need work sooner than something that’s brand new.  

Some hot tubs are a royal pain to work on, requiring special tools, specific training, inside information, and tricks of the trade that can’t be found on YouTube tutorials.   And some brands contain much more expensive parts than others.  

If you’re a handy person, you might be able to figure out ways to reconfigure things, bypass redundant features to simplify the system and find cheaper alternatives instead of hiring a professional, but even experienced technicians sometimes feel frustrated to the point of giving up on a hot tub that’s not worth fixing.

Beware of the “sunk cost fallacy”. This is when someone is tempted to continue pouring an unreasonable amount of time, effort, and money into an endeavor, because they have already invested so much into the project that it’s hard to let it go to waste.  Sometimes it’s best to cut your losses and just walk away. 

Ideally, of course, it’s best to have the foresight to think ahead about these matters rather than discover them the hard way, after having committed to buying a model that’s hard and expensive to service and repair.