What should I buy?

1) Where do you want your home resort to be?
Not too sure

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?
Trade most of the time.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
Hawaii, Europe, Australia, Asia, Caribbean

4) How many people do you usually travel with?
Family of 5

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?
Need to work around School schedule

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
Yes

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?
Yes

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?
4 star

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
10-15k

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?
$1000-1200

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?
Yes

12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?
Yes. I am looking for Resales to save money

I am interested and curious in HGVC or HIVC. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

I would encourage you to have a 'home' resort within driving range. You may not always be able to travel to all those exotic locations you lust after. Timeshares in Europe, Australia and/or Asia are not the developed resorts we are used to in the US, Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico. For instance in Europe, most timeshares are in the countryside, not cities, because Europeans LIVE in cities and want to vacation out in the country. Also, anytime you exchange, there is a cost involved. RCI and II charge about ~$100 a year for membership plus a fee of a couple hundred up for EACH exchange. so instead of going to your home resort, it costs $300-$400 more on top of your annual MF bill to exchange.

Welcome to TUG. This is a great resource for your research and to learn about TS without BS a salesman might tell you.

Advice: Don't buy anything. Rent TSs for your next few vacations. You can often rent for even less than the cost of MF without any buy-in cost. Look in the Marketplace in the red stripe above here.

Jim

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
Hawaii, Europe, Australia, Asia, Caribbean

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There really isn't any timeshare system that is going to have locations that would be easy to exchange into during high season / school breaks into all of those locations. The closest would probably be Marriott points system but the buy in (even resale) is going to have a higher buy in and a higher annual MF's. Even then no Australian locations and limited, Caribbean, Europe and Asian locations.


Most US systems are going to have US locations with some access to some Caribbean locations and very limited if any prime location/prime time inventory in Europe, Asia and Australia.

Saw your other post mojopuppy....we were in the exact same boat as you (bought at OL, found this site and got out, just got my $ back last week). We are also looking at HGVC, and I have an offer in the ROFR stage now, we'll see what happens. While HIVC has some great places, it seemed to me that Hilton offers a lot more options outside of the United States in the 4 star range of hotels. They are both in the RCI system, so my hope is that it will be easier to use Hilton points to stay in HI resorts than vice versa should we want to visit those HI spots....

Just my (newbie) thoughts. Good luck and congrats on getting out of OL before it was too late!

Passepartout said:

I would encourage you to have a 'home' resort within driving range. You may not always be able to travel to all those exotic locations you lust after. Timeshares in Europe, Australia and/or Asia are not the developed resorts we are used to in the US, Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico. For instance in Europe, most timeshares are in the countryside, not cities, because Europeans LIVE in cities and want to vacation out in the country. Also, anytime you exchange, there is a cost involved. RCI and II charge about ~$100 a year for membership plus a fee of a couple hundred up for EACH exchange. so instead of going to your home resort, it costs $300-$400 more on top of your annual MF bill to exchange.

Welcome to TUG. This is a great resource for your research and to learn about TS without BS a salesman might tell you.

Advice: Don't buy anything. Rent TSs for your next few vacations. You can often rent for even less than the cost of MF without any buy-in cost. Look in the Marketplace in the red stripe above here.

Jim

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Great advice from the above. I would rent for the first couple of years just to kept a feel of the timeshare experience. Read about all the major timeshare developers from this web site and please if you can buy resale and saved some big money.

Warning!!! When you check into a resort, please do not go on any so causes "ninety (90) minutes tours" and "do not give out your cell telephone number or your home phone to anyone".

Good Luck

Passepartout said:

I would encourage you to have a 'home' resort within driving range. You may not always be able to travel to all those exotic locations you lust after.
...<snip>

Advice: Don't buy anything. Rent TSs for your next few vacations. You can often rent for even less than the cost of MF without any buy-in cost. Look in the Marketplace in the red stripe above here.

Jim

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Jim's advice is very good. Many people who 'dream' of travelling and staying in 4-5 Star locales & resorts ... first look at timeshares as a way to "get GREAT really cheap" vacations in far off locations ... with resale timeshares, it becomes the ongoing Maintenance Fees which increase each year.

Yes, I love HIGH END places ... but not the cost of food and VERY much higher yearly MFs. Your estimated annual MFs needs to be about 2.5-3+ times YOUR MF limit for both the locations and UNIT SIZEs as you need TS with 5 people. PLUS, far off places during PRIME time also require BIG AIRFARE ticket prices times FIVE in your case plus a LARGER rental vehicle to get around.

It was totally amazing how my parents' vacationing standard changed as they got OLDER and their travel kid population decreased.

But if you are fortunate to be able to afford this type of travel NOW ... go for it. Just increase the annual MFs on your travel spreadsheet.

aimboat said:

Saw your other post mojopuppy....we were in the exact same boat as you (bought at OL, found this site and got out, just got my $ back last week). We are also looking at HGVC, and I have an offer in the ROFR stage now, we'll see what happens. While HIVC has some great places, it seemed to me that Hilton offers a lot more options outside of the United States in the 4 star range of hotels. They are both in the RCI system, so my hope is that it will be easier to use Hilton points to stay in HI resorts than vice versa should we want to visit those HI spots....

Just my (newbie) thoughts. Good luck and congrats on getting out of OL before it was too late!

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Thanks airboat. When we tried to rescind, HI offered us a lower price for the same unit. We told them tO cancel anyways. They called me on the 10th day and said they were going to keep my account on hold until I decide on a resale. I refused and send a note in writing to rescind before my last day to rescind.. They are very sneaky.

I agree on HGVC. Same offers as HI but better resorts and partnered with RCI.

Wow mojopuppy, they certainly tried to hold onto you! Congrats on getting it done

You may want to look into every other year ownership at two different timeshare companies to cover more locations.

You could buy a lower point (4800) HGVC or an every other year 7000 points matched with another every other year even or odd (Marriott/Starwood/Hyatt/Worldmark/Wyndham etc...)