I love reading these threads because I have been on both sides and understand both. As a previous owner (bought & sold many contracts) I am an avid believer that DVC, overall at today's prices, is absolutely a horrible investment. My original contracts bought 10+ years ago were definitely a good deal and completely was "The best kept secret" at Disney. The price per point today is absolutely insane, the restrictions they keep imposing are disappointing, the ability to book as an owner has changed, and I believe will continue to change, for the worse dramatically. The "perks" are nice but actually taking advantage of them is becoming more difficult. More owners are booking reservations only to rent them at a higher rate which will continue and drastically affect owners who just want to use their contracts. IF I were to buy in again, there is no chance I'd buy Riviera or from Disney direct. I would buy a resale contract with approx 10-15 years left on the contract and was where I wanted to stay 90% of the time. I wouldn't finance, only pay cash. To me, DVC was a great deal "back in the day" and is most definitely an emotional purchase. There is no formula I have found that made DVC a better investment than putting money someplace with a return and paying cash for vacations or renting points. There simply isn't anything that shows a significant savings that I've found. NOW, if you're comparing rack rates and other details, then Maybe there is an argument for a small savings over the life of your contract. But that is simply inaccurate. Disney ALWAYS has deals on rooms and I haven't paid rack rate EVER. I absolutely LOVED owning my DVC contracts, and I was lucky to get my money back plus some when I sold. But it was more of a emotional purchase for me. I've saved a TON of $$ since selling my contracts, and my vacations have been every bit as good, or better than when I owned DVC. Just my perspective