How we made the decision to buy HGVC

[terces]

The Timeshare world is like a quote I heard about golf "deceptively simple and endlessly complicated". We were owners of a tiny Mexican RCI timeshare - in fact we were blowing off the RCI points and only going to the Mexican resort. At the same time we had a motor home and came to a point in our lives that we would need a bigger one or find a different way to travel so we sold it and made a decision to give time sharing a fair shake. A friend hated his TS but had over 200,000 RCI points stockpiled, so we acquired them from him, subsequently we bought another 200,000 on the open market and when we added in our own points we had over 500,000 RCI points to use without sticking our heads any further into the noose of the timeshare ownership world. This was perfect. We were able to book 13 different weeks over a year and a half long period. During this "test" period we were able to try out 3 different HGVC properties and we also happily went to a number of presentations. I also spent the time following all the relevant threads on TUG and asking lots of questions. I will not go into all of the reasons we decided on HGVC as they have been repeated often here. The reason I am posting this is to encourage people considering this or any system is to find a way to give it a try before buying.

 

[Maverick1963]

Timeshare is great for those who study, learn and act patiently.

 

[Talent312]

Good post about kicking the tires before you buy.
I concur that HGVC has good, high quality resorts.
It's almost hotel-like flexibility also means complexity.
Learn the rules. It's like an take-home science test.
.

 

[brp]

I agree with all of the above comments that flexibility = complexity...and that's a good thing. Fixed-week, fixed-location places are pretty simple and, IMO, not anywhere near as useful or desirable (unless one really want to go there that week every year).

We own HGVC and DVC. Both are point- and location-flexible in very similar ways (and VDC has fewer nuisance fees ).

Wouldn't have it any other way.

The one thing that OP mentioned that I do need to learn more about is the whole "pool of RCI trader points" thing. But that's a different story..

Cheers.

 

[Panina]

The Timeshare world is like a quote I heard about golf "deceptively simple and endlessly complicated". We were owners of a tiny Mexican RCI timeshare - in fact we were blowing off the RCI points and only going to the Mexican resort. At the same time we had a motor home and came to a point in our lives that we would need a bigger one or find a different way to travel so we sold it and made a decision to give time sharing a fair shake. A friend hated his TS but had over 200,000 RCI points stockpiled, so we acquired them from him, subsequently we bought another 200,000 on the open market and when we added in our own points we had over 500,000 RCI points to use without sticking our heads any further into the noose of the timeshare ownership world. This was perfect. We were able to book 13 different weeks over a year and a half long period. During this "test" period we were able to try out 3 different HGVC properties and we also happily went to a number of presentations. I also spent the time following all the relevant threads on TUG and asking lots of questions. I will not go into all of the reasons we decided on HGVC as they have been repeated often here. The reason I am posting this is to encourage people considering this or any system is to find a way to give it a try before buying.

Great you figured out what worked best for you. Your experience shows once again an educated timeshare consumer can make great decisions on what timeshares will work for them the best way. Too bad most buy on impulse instead of taking the time to do it right.

 

[mjm1]

The Timeshare world is like a quote I heard about golf "deceptively simple and endlessly complicated". We were owners of a tiny Mexican RCI timeshare - in fact we were blowing off the RCI points and only going to the Mexican resort. At the same time we had a motor home and came to a point in our lives that we would need a bigger one or find a different way to travel so we sold it and made a decision to give time sharing a fair shake. A friend hated his TS but had over 200,000 RCI points stockpiled, so we acquired them from him, subsequently we bought another 200,000 on the open market and when we added in our own points we had over 500,000 RCI points to use without sticking our heads any further into the noose of the timeshare ownership world. This was perfect. We were able to book 13 different weeks over a year and a half long period. During this "test" period we were able to try out 3 different HGVC properties and we also happily went to a number of presentations. I also spent the time following all the relevant threads on TUG and asking lots of questions. I will not go into all of the reasons we decided on HGVC as they have been repeated often here. The reason I am posting this is to encourage people considering this or any system is to find a way to give it a try before buying.

Congratulations! What did you end up buying in the HGVC system?

Best regards.

Mike

 

[dayooper]

@terces I agree completely. There is no way we could have afforded our vacation we are currently on! My wife and I stayed with friends in Vegas and fell in love with the resort. We found Tug a year ago and soaked in all we could. Never once thought about purchasing retail and found the HGVC interval we own now. By studying Tug and keeping an eye on Redweek and Tugs own marketplace, we found the right deal and haven’t looked back.

This community is one of the most helpful and friendly places out there. It helped me discover what I needed to vacation. We never had been to too many places, taking vacations here and there for a few nights close to home. The cost and room space was always prohibitive. With out points, a 2 bedroom condo is just perfect for our family. I haven’t said this enough, but you all are amazing and I thank you for the direction you all gave us.

 

[terces]

Congratulations! What did you end up buying in the HGVC system?

Best regards.

Mike

We bought at Las Vegas Boulevard, but I would like to add that the decision fit our particular circumstances. There are numerous other good options out there.