Aw, why not... there's plenty of pixie dust already in this thread! I'll "play devil's advocate."
After all, if you want to be sure you won't regret a decision, it's wise to consider both sides, isn't it?
Posted by Magical Princess:
...obviously 50,000 + people can't be wrong!!!
There are a lot more people who tour timeshares, including DVC, who choose
not to buy than who do buy. Make sure everyone with a say in your family is in agreement that it's right FOR YOUR FAMILY and don't let others sway you. It's not worth driving a wedge between loved ones.
Your job is to convince me to buy or not to buy.
This is a DVC forum with lots of happy owners. It will not provide an unbiased view... that's not its purpose. But perhaps you don't really want that anyway.
Nothing wrong with that.
I'm still having a hard time convincing my dad though, but we'll see after he sees OKW for the first time in September.
You've already rented before. What does DH think? Why are you trying to convince your Dad - doesn't DH have a greater say in a matter like this? Just seems curious. Does your Dad pay for your and DH's accommodations when you vacation now?
Posted by SleepyatDVC:
Anither factor to consider is CONTROL... If you definetely want to stay at the DVC resorts, there's nothing like having the ability to pick up the phone and calling MS yourself.
That's true to a point... pending availability when and where you want it. If someone plans to stay annually at the DVC resorts, it probably makes sense to join. But the greatest control (flexibility) for vacationing options will always be with cash.
Even if you don't use it for the next 40 years, you can sell it 10-15 years from now at a much lesser loss than other timeshares. And you would have used it for those years.
Careful here. There is absolutely no assurance of this. If DVC stops selling new resorts in 10-15 years, they
may stop buying back resale contracts. This
could lead to a
significant drop in resale prices as with most timeshares, especially RTU timeshares like DVC. Further, depending upon where one would otherwise stay, the size unit, time of year, alternative cash prices available at the time, etc., their breakeven point may not even come for 10 years. It's
not a financial investment.
Posted by jimmytammy:
My DD piano teacher is big DIS fan. Her family stayed at WDW in Oct. 1971 at Comtemporary $25 per nite. Cost 30 years later, same month is $244-$510 and more depending upon room, according to Birnbaums 2001 edition. At that kind of jump in price, wonder how much it will be 40 yrs. from now.
Perhaps that was a discounted, grand opening rate. Here's a
link to an item for sale that says:
"
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels Rate Card (© 1972) - Card advertising the WDW resorts (Contemporary and Polynesian) and affiliated hotels (Dutch Inn, Howard Johnson's, Royal Inn and TraveLodge); rates listed at $32, $38 or $46"
Assuming that the lowest hotel rates were the Disney Marketplace hotels, the 1972 Contemporary room rate of $46 seems realistic. To get to $244/nt by year 2001, it's an average increase of 6% yearly. This is probably pretty accurate. A lot has been said about how fast room rates rise, but maybe economic changes provide some checks & balances after all.
FWIW, Magical Princess, if you are anticipating annual trips to WDW and staying onsite in deluxes, you probably are a good candidate for DVC.
OTOH, if you are a young couple and cannot afford to buy in, yourselves, perhaps while also hoping to buy a house and perhaps have children in the next several years (who change our finances
dramatically!), think carefully again about whether you really
need to press the issue of a longterm commitment to DVC and/or deluxe hotels. It isn't
that bad to stay at value or offsite properties if DVC doesn't work out for you. The parks are still wonderful!
If you can afford it and other high priorities will not suffer, great! Hope this helps.
. However they said they'll keep me on their call list in case a contract of that size comes along! YA! 
