I own several timeshares beside DVC. Thanks to Dean for his advice before I got started on my buying spree.
I suggest you buy a good Marriott trader like Marriott Manor Club Platinum. MMC is cheaper to buy into and cheaper to maintain than almost all the other Marriotts. The best things about the Manor Club are the free golf and colonial style rooms. That being said I have never even been there once. When you own a MMC platinum you will get a bonus week each year for each week you own. I use these bonus weeks,called Accommodation Certificates on II, to book other vacations and almost always in Marriotts. I also suggest you read a lot before buying anything. Buying re-sale is almost always a cheaper and better way to go. Try reading TUG, timeshare users group,
www.tug2.net or Timeshare Forums,
www.timeshareforums.com for more information. There is a Marriott forum on TIG that I find invaluable. I do not suggest Sunterra, I own a week of Sunterra, but I do recommend Marriotts, World Mark, Hyatts, and Four Seasons for good re-sale purchases. Also I wouldn't be concerned about picking up a re-sale week until you know more about timeshares and exchanging through II. I have purchased some doozies on ebay. I wish I never ever saw those auctions. I should have listened to Dean. I wish I had studied more and bought less. Now I think I have a handle on the whole thing but I am still learning. I just bought a BlueGreen contract because it is a point system like DVC and easy to understand.
For now I would suggest only Platinum Marriotts (or Gold in some resorts like Hawaiian Marriotts or Aruba) and to buy them resale