Interesting. We bought direct from Marriott, which I am still glad we did given Ile de France was still quite new at the time (there were not many resales and the savings on the 2 I found were about $2000 savings - the value of our gift for buying direct was worth more than that).
Yes, we could have bought an American unit resale, but we bought the one Marriott we could drive to in tough times (like losing my job 2 weeks before our vacation this May, we went anyway - doubt we would have if flying).
But we feel it has been great value. We are a family of 4, and this last trip we took my MIL. It would have meant 2 rooms instead of 1. Because it was a budget trip we brought groceries from the UK (cheaper than France due to the exchange rate right now), brought a case of water and a case of coke (saving $4.50 a pop - they cost 75 cents each). We took less luggage and did our laundry. On the day I was ordered by a doctor to stay in bed (or the soaking tub), the kids enjoyed the kids club inc. jewelry making etc. for free. My MIL and wife enjoyed the spa, steam room and sauna. And we all made use of the DVD player. I was able to get quiet rest while they were all downstairs. All of this was on the Disneyland Paris Golf course in a 2 bedroom villa for less than the price of staying in 1 room in a moderate Disney hotel. Bargain.
Yes - if you are 2 people or maybe 4, can be flexible when you go, and use something like priceline, you will save money. But you cannot stay in a hotel suite let alone a villa/appartment for anywhere near the amount we pay in purchase cost and maintenance.
Let's see, we have since buying, our week, gifts and A/Cs means we have stayed in a 2 bedroom in Paris twice, Newport Coast for a week, 4 nights in the Renaissance on Nob Hill San Francisco and an ocean view suite in the Monterrey Marriott for a night, Son Antem 2 bed villa for a week, and a Playa Andaluzia 2 bed appartment - plus all the little extras like free bottles of wine, parties, shirts, hats etc. so that is 40 nights in 5* accommodation for 4 people, for £7670 or $11,505 or that equates to £191.70 or a night $287.63. This is based on 10 years of finance, and counting the down payment in this time frame too. It will get even cheaper if we were to stick at it for 75 years.
Now, compared to other vacations, we have paid $500 a night for a hotel room in Disneyland's Grand Californian before, and $390 for a room at WDW's Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Disneyland Hotel at Paris last October cost $450 a night. If you want a suite in one of those hotels you are looking at $4500 a night). Heck, even out local no frills Holiday Inn Express charges $120 for a 2 person room. To me, while MVCI is not cheap, it is a bargain if you want a luxury style. And this does not include the savings of eating breakfast and some meals in the units compared to hotel meals. Also, when we went to Spain, we could travel light because of the washer, this saved us $90 in extra baggage fees. Renters pay Marriott $500 a night for Ile de France.
So maybe I am a mug for buying direct, but I don't feel like one. Now if I want an older timeshare (perhaps Playa or Son Antem), then resale is the way to go. But if you want a new, someone has to buy direct. WE wanted Paris, in the times where we could travel for the kids' school dates. That's what we bought. But we think for us, it is totally the right thing (the kids were 2 and 6 when we bought, perfect).
