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Vehicle Options for Timeshare travel - keep the cost of getting there low

Clifbell

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I want to keep my cost low for getting to my timeshare locations so I can spend my money enjoying the location I am visiting rather than the effort to get to the timeshare. The more you timeshare, the more this is a consideration.

I am looking at various travel options for my timeshare travel. For the moment, I am excluding airfare. But the other choice is should I buy a hybrid such as a Prius and stay in hotels if I have a long drive to my destination, an SUV so I can sleep in the back if I have a long drive across the country, or have a car with a pop up trailer (they are the easiest to tow).

The tradeoff comes down to downsizing vs. gas mileage. I recently towed a Uhaul with my car and saw a drop in mileage from 33 miles per gallon to about 25 (mostly on freeways). The Uhaul experience got me thinking that a Pop up camper would be similar so I wanted to do some analysis. I have created a spreadsheet for my video along with these three options. I them compared a few examples (4,000 mile trip, 20,000 miles a year with 10 nights, etc...). Using a car means traveling light while towing a popup camper allows for taking more with you. Video and cost spreadsheet below... Looks like my next car is a Prius :cool:.

Vehicle options video


Screen Shot 2021-04-05 at 1.54.43 PM.png
 

chellej

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There are quite a few more hybrids available now that you might also consider. We drive hybrids for work and prius is one of my least favorites. My Current vehicle is a camry which is really comfortable for long drives and averages about 48 mpg. I also really liked the ford escape. Stay away from the ford cmax...it was the worst of the vehicles I have had.....really poor engineering.
 

Passepartout

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I'd also add that the Prius is not a good candidate for towing a trailer.
 

easyrider

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I thought about getting a smaller vehicle for better gas mileage but my old slightly lifted suv is still looking and running great. I drove it to Sedona last fall and was able to haul our ebikes and other gear. Went 4x4ing a few times on some hard trails. I have owned this 02 Ford Expedition for 19 years, lol. I think I paid about $12,000 for it in 2002 so I'm into it about $650 a year + expenses. Unlike most years of the Ford Expedition, the 02 can tow over 8000 pounds. MPG is about 12 mpg combined. It sits up high on the road so you see alot more than you would in a squatty car which is important because part of the enjoyment of travel is seeing things.

I call this rig Black Beauty. It's my daily driver. It will be a sad day when it retires.

Bill
 

Clifbell

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There are quite a few more hybrids available now that you might also consider. We drive hybrids for work and prius is one of my least favorites. My Current vehicle is a camry which is really comfortable for long drives and averages about 48 mpg. I also really liked the ford escape. Stay away from the ford cmax...it was the worst of the vehicles I have had.....really poor engineering.
I will have to look at the Camry because it is a lot bigger and might be the best overall option... Have you tried the Sonata hybrid? The Sonata is a little less expensive.
 

rickandcindy23

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We drive a lot for our trips, when there is enough time to drive. Flying is sometimes cheaper, but rental cars are a killer. Seriously expensive.

Going to Hawaii, they have not built that road yet. ;) Old joke.
 

easyrider

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I will have to look at the Camry because it is a lot bigger and might be the best overall option... Have you tried the Sonata hybrid? The Sonata is a little less expensive.

What is your price point and minimum age of vehicle ?

Bill
 

MrockStar

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Yup, rental cars are a necessary evil when flying. I have noticed the e-scooters and e-bikes at our last trip to Daytona and might consider those if i can fly close enough to the resorts and uber/lift there from/to the airport.
 

elaine

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For FL (except this year), one can usually get a FL drive out special from Easter (sometimes a few weeks before) until May 30 or later. It can be worth it to rent that special and drive it home, if you're on the East coast, or even just drop it over the border, such as SAV or (farther up) ATL and fly home from there. It can save you up to $500 depending on rental car rates.
We also did the (back of napkin) analysis and decided driving/Hampton Inn, etc. won out over travel trailer, etc. for $$ as well as logistics/driver's ease.
 

Clifbell

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For FL (except this year), one can usually get a FL drive out special from Easter (sometimes a few weeks before) until May 30 or later. It can be worth it to rent that special and drive it home, if you're on the East coast, or even just drop it over the border, such as SAV or (farther up) ATL and fly home from there. It can save you up to $500 depending on rental car rates.
We also did the (back of napkin) analysis and decided driving/Hampton Inn, etc. won out over travel trailer, etc. for $$ as well as logistics/driver's ease.
Hawaii is now $1000/week... I am going in May and luckily I rented a car for $600 for one week... I literally will be a beach bum which is fine with me.
 

AwayWeGo

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[triennial - points]
Flying free via credit card reward points & renting an economy car when we get there usually works out economically for us, although reports are that car rental rates have escalated recently.

Last time, we drove our own car 869 miles from home to Vacation Village At Parkway & back. We are hard-core sr. citz., so I doubt we'll be able to keep that up many more years.

So it goes.

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

rickandcindy23

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Rental cars are a major consideration. I wish the rental car companies would increase their rental fleets.
 

Clifbell

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What is your price point and minimum age of vehicle ?

Bill
I was looking at a 2018 Camry for about $21K... That is well within my budget especially since the Camry will last well over 200k miles
 

easyrider

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I was looking at a 2018 Camry for about $21K... That is well within my budget especially since the Camry will last well over 200k miles

Yeah, its hard to go wrong with a Camry. It took a while for me to warm up to the Toyota and Lexus grills. At first I didn't like the grills at all but it slowly grew on me. The 2015 Lexus es 350 is a luxury Camry that many seniors sell for very little with very low miles. The grill is not as pronounced. They are very quiet and reliable.

Bill
 

rhonda

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Years ago we did a Pacific Coastal road trip, San Diego to Vancouver, BC, and back visiting Worldmark timeshares. For the journey, we rented a pick-up from Budget's truck fleet with unlimited miles. The truck had a covered/locked bed which was great for concealing and protecting our gear. Renting a vehicle for the timeshare road trip worked really well ... no purchase, no maintenance, no long-term commitment, etc.
 

easyrider

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Years ago we did a Pacific Coastal road trip, San Diego to Vancouver, BC, and back visiting Worldmark timeshares. For the journey, we rented a pick-up from Budget's truck fleet with unlimited miles. The truck had a covered/locked bed which was great for concealing and protecting our gear. Renting a vehicle for the timeshare road trip worked really well ... no purchase, no maintenance, no long-term commitment, etc.

That sounds like fun.

We drove from LA to San Francisco on the California Coast one year. I had a bunch of Marriott Courtyard certificates to use up so we stayed at Marriott locations. It was fun but I think I would like to do the entire West Coast someday.

Bill
 

rhonda

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That sounds like fun.

We drove from LA to San Francisco on the California Coast one year. I had a bunch of Marriott Courtyard certificates to use up so we stayed at Marriott locations. It was fun but I think I would like to do the entire West Coast someday.

Bill
It was a blast! Below is a copy/paste from our WM reservation history of the trip route. Read from the bottom up as the list is sorted newest-first.

Worldmark ResortArriveDepartCredits
WorldMark Pismo Beach5/18/20025/19/20021,450
WorldMark Angels Camp -- this was the "pivot date" on which the
entire schedule was planned: Calaveres County Fair! I wanted to
see the Frog Jump!
5/16/20025/18/20022,450
WorldMark Running Y, WM 1BR Unit in main building5/15/20025/16/20021,100
WorldMark Schooner Landing5/14/20025/15/20021,000
WorldMark Surfside Inn5/13/20025/14/2002700
WorldMark The Canadian - our turn around point5/11/20025/13/20022,750
WorldMark Mariner Village5/10/20025/11/20021,125
WorldMark Gleneden5/9/20025/10/2002700
WorldMark Running Y, Eagle's Crest 2BR unit, jetted tub5/7/20025/9/20021,400
WorldMark Clear Lake5/6/20025/7/2002850
WorldMark Marina Dunes5/4/20025/6/20023,400
 
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