Charlie, just some quick comments.....the tube-sided Intex pools are OK to flex and move about. That's why that rope or I can't remember if your pool has the continous heavy vinyl strap around the bottom area about a foot off the ground. They flex, don't worry about it.

The upgraded cartridges for your pool that PoolDoc recommends from Amazon are worth the money and you can clean them by soaking them.....Unicell.....they are worth the money (and money savings). I upgraded my pump/filter to the big Intex unit (didn't need to) but for me, it was worth it to get to the big cartridge filters instead of the small ones. I now change filters about every 3 weeks now, versus once a week or earlier for the Intex filters.

For safety reasons (search on this site for the pictures), I would not use anything but an Intex pump on an Intex pool.....to many dangers to swimmers if you put on the wrong pump. Put a cover on it if you have alot of trees around when there are no swimmers.

If you go with the oval, you might consider getting a nice metal sided one so you can get a new liner every few years as needed. You can then think about the deck and patio you need to upgrade for the "money lady" in the mean time.

Good luck,

Bob E.