We had a Beachcomber in our back yard in Manitoba, as do my in-laws (bought after trying ours). Held up great in the winter, we ran it all year. The thing with the Beachcomber was the motor and such being located outside the housing for the tub - gives you more insulation around the tub.
As for cost - we paid about $9,000, delivered and installed, with a good warranty, from a store that specializes in hot tubs/spas. We got great service, including water testing, advice, etc. They recognized us and greeted us by name when we walked in the store to purchase our chemicals! You don't get that when you buy the special from Home Depot. We did end up with a small leak once and it was fixed, quickly and with no problems or cost to us. We moved from that house almost two years ago, and sold the tub with the house :'( so I can't say how it's doing now, but I miss my hot tub! My inlaws still have theirs and are still very happy with it.
Hint - if you do plan on running it all year, buy a cover lifter and make sure you situate the tub so that the cover, when held up by the lifter, shelters you from whatever direction the wind comes from in your back yard. Our mistake - we built the deck too high/too close to the tub on two sides and couldn't use a cover lifter.