I did as well, but I faced that they weren't all that different from the industry a long time ago. About six months after we purchased ten years ago. HOWEVER, they still bring value to our vacations.
I'm also a little different, and I suspect most of the "realists" are. I never bought into the "this was the best purchase we ever made." I've always though "Welcome Home" was a silly marketing ploy. I own a "piece of the magic" by owning stock - not
DVC. For us, DVC has been a way to get regular vacations at Disney in a multi room unit. If I were making the decision today, I wouldn't do it - its way too expensive now and Bonnet Creek is nearby and lovely. Plus, the switch to RCI has made trading in from a different timeshare MUCH more reasonable. But I wouldn't buy a timeshare at all now. We got a good deal in 2002 when we bought. Or we wouldn't have done it.