Vacation Club/time share purchase to save $$ - any experts???

[amsafko]

I am looking into joining this but am really apprehensive about Vacation Clubs/time shares. We are a family of 5 that has spent a considerable amount on our summer vacations the past 3 years and also have taken a trip over the spring break averaging $1500-2000.

We went to the presentation this morning for Marriott's Vacation Club. I need some guidance on whether buying from the company is better than buying online as a resale - the price is considerably more through the company but I'm also nervous about buying from an individual without knowing others who have been through this.


So....has anyone here bought a Marriott Vacation Club time share? Did you buy it from the company or as a resale? Would you do it again? Does it really afford you the opportunity to exchange as easily as they say (we want to travel all over the world). Thanks for any help.

Oh, and if you know of any good sites for 1) buying on resale and/or 2) talking to time share owners about their experiences, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!!!

 

[dfchelbay]

Have you looked into Disney Vacation Club? That would be the timeshare I would purchase...and they are all over the world too.

 

[verlee]

We do not own but have considered it. We seriously looked into it last summer. We have several friends that own Wyndham. They love it. They originally bought from Wyndham but have since purchased more pts on E-bay. They wish they had bought from e-bay to begin with. You just need to be exactly sure what you are purchasing. What are the taxes/ fees/ closing costs ect. Good luck.

 

[jel0511]

I am looking into joining this but am really apprehensive about Vacation Clubs/time shares. We are a family of 5 that has spent a considerable amount on our summer vacations the past 3 years and also have taken a trip over the spring break averaging $1500-2000.

We went to the presentation this morning for Marriott's Vacation Club. I need some guidance on whether buying from the company is better than buying online as a resale - the price is considerably more through the company but I'm also nervous about buying from an individual without knowing others who have been through this.


So....has anyone here bought a Marriott Vacation Club time share? Did you buy it from the company or as a resale? Would you do it again? Does it really afford you the opportunity to exchange as easily as they say (we want to travel all over the world). Thanks for any help.

Oh, and if you know of any good sites for 1) buying on resale and/or 2) talking to time share owners about their experiences, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!!!

First off I see you are from South NJ, DO NOT, REPEAT DO NOT buy from the Marriott in AC. That resort has absolute NO TRADE value and you'll end up having to go there for your vacations. I own 2 timeshares, DVC and Westin St. John. Do they save me money, definitely NOT. We go on vacation an average 2-3 times a year and spend more on yearly maintenance than what you say you spend on your yearly vacations. Owning a timeshare is more of a luxury than a money saver, IMO. Both of my time shares cost me upwards of 50k together. Now, they're nice places to go, desirable locations, hard to trade into. We haven't traded them yet, just used our DVC points for cruises and DL. If you're trying to save money, at least buy into a place you'll be interested in returning to. The initial financial outlay is huge, as well as the annual financial commitment.

 

[Purseval]

So....has anyone here bought a Marriott Vacation Club time share? Did you buy it from the company or as a resale? Would you do it again? Does it really afford you the opportunity to exchange as easily as they say (we want to travel all over the world). Thanks for any help.

If you are considering timeshare DO NOT BUY RETAIL, not even from Disney. Most timeshares are selling a 5-20% of their original retail value, which means that you could pick up the exact same $25,000 package Marriott is trying to sell you for $2500 or less and some people will even pay your closing costs to take it.

Disney Vacation Club has something called Right of First Refusal which keeps the resale prices higher than most but you can still do better buying a resale, it's just that Disney will buy it back if the offer is too low and sell it for full price to someone else.

Oh, and if you know of any good sites for 1) buying on resale and/or 2) talking to time share owners about their experiences, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!!!

The best online site is Timeshare Users Group. They have forums for each major timeshare group, buying and selling, renting, reviews of resorts, everything you need to educate yourself before you buy. I would highly recommend going there and educating yourself.

www.tugbbs.com