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Re: Buying Marriott Vacation Club Resale (by Wise E.):

Our first two timeshare purchases were directly through Marriott. Our next four purchases were on the resale market for about 1/3rd of Marriott's price. Our "resale" weeks trade very efficiently through II after I learned how II works. Since we bought premium ski weeks at a smaller resort (Timber Lodge) our weeks trade for nearly anything we want, when we want, if done at the earliest possible time. We also have the advantage that we love Timber Lodge and love staying there a couple times a year for two weeks or more to ski.

Bottom line, (1) buy "resale"; (2) buy for dirty cheap, lower than you can imagine anyone would sell for; (3) buy high demand resorts in premium season, since you are getting them so cheap; (4) learn the trading techniques of II; and (5) buy where you love staying. Otherwise, don't buy a timeshare.

Doing the math, if you buy correctly and use your timeshare, it still takes five to seven years to brake even on the purchase over just paying for lodging as you go.

For us it is like having vacation homes that we don't have to maintain year round and that can be somewhat easily traded.