New or Resale

We went to a presentation with HGVC this last weekend. We really liked the plan, but want to wait for a year. We hooked into their VIP program for 15 months to freeze the costs.

I am now considering resale instead of buying new. Buying new, we will end up with a lot of bonus points, but I am not sure if it is worth it in the long run.

Can anyone provide any advice either way?

Thanks,

With resale, you pay about 1/3 the developer's price (even with them "freezing the cost"). For my recent purchase, that saved me about $21,000 vs. buying from the developer.

The disadvantage is that you do not get any bonus points, and your purchase does not count toward any Elite status (Elite status is when you own at least 14,000 HGVC points, and they are all purchased direct from the developer or HGVC). To me, the extra $21K in my pocket more than compensated for these disadvantages.

Also, check out the "Hotel-based Timeshare Systems" forum on this board -- lots of good info there.

Kurt

"Used" & "New" Are Meaningless In The Timeshare Biz.

tiggerzzz said:

We went to a presentation with HGVC this last weekend. We really liked the plan, but want to wait for a year. We hooked into their VIP program for 15 months to freeze the costs.

I am now considering resale instead of buying new. Buying new, we will end up with a lot of bonus points, but I am not sure if it is worth it in the long run.

Can anyone provide any advice either way?

Thanks,

Click to expand...

Basically, from all I have been able to tell from going on timeshare sales tours & reading The Wisdom Of TUG, VIP status offered by various timeshare development companies is practically all sizzle & hardly any steak -- that is, it's something they came up with to dazzle customers so customers will be more inclined to overlook the thousands they could save by buying resale & buy at full freight instead just so they can become timeshare VIPs. Others on TUG lots smarter than I am have pointed out that any privileges that might come with being a timeshare VIP cost w-a-a-a-a-y more than they're worth just about any way you shake it.

[ Full Discosure: All our timeshares are used-used-used & used (i.e., resale) -- bought for nickels on the full-freight dollar. If we're missing out on anything by being non-VIP timesharers, we're too dim to know what that might be.]

The odd thing is that if all our timeshares had been "new" when we bought'm -- i.e., if we went against all our instincts & paid full freight, with or without VIP status -- the actual timeshare villas & condos & dwelling units would all be used-used-used by the time we actually showed up & checked in. That's why it only makes sense to buy timeshares "used" & why, in the timeshare biz, "new" & "used" are mox nix.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

oooooh!!!! If only all of lifes questions were this easy, Resale.

With some TS companies, there may be a reason to buy from the developer. With HGVC, the only reason is if you want elite which value is questionable. So it is a no brainer to buy resale.

NEXT, You purchased a VIP (trial membership last weekend) This is also likely very overpriced. If you want to try out the clubs resorts, you can just rent a week from a HGVC owner for much less than you paid for the VIP package. I don't know if you can get out of this purchase, but I'd try. (you can't just rescind since it isn't a TS purchase)

Good Luck

PS I really like HGVC, and think it is one of the best TS companies out there. Just buy it resale and save >$10,000.

Thanks to all of the replies. I had a feeling resale was the only way to go, but I wanted to be 100% sure.

I will have to read over all the posts and information here to ensure I make the next best decision (first decision is not to by from retailer).