How did you purchase your first timeshare?

[madmitch Member Find all posts View Profile Close madmitch]

Resale...
Ebay or similar back in the 90s, then purchased however.
3 bedroom LockOut at Liki Tiki/Isle of Bali, then added Tahoe Beach and Ski.
Sold both after few uses and many rentals. Liki Tiki went to multiple renter and TBSC went to family wishing to expand their resort ownership.
Picked up Kingsbury Crossing at dirt cheap auction, ex-wife used a few times, I sold for small profit.
1 Bedroom Imperial at GREAT San Luis Bay Inn, used many times but sold when money was tight after an accident and injury.
I think I sold most of the above overall for close to purchase in in some cases a definite profit.
My venture into Points was SunTerror purchased resort that converted to CSV-1 points, added to that with other purchases and even give aways.
To get all my Diamond Contracts into The Club without playing their stupid games I ended up buying 2500 points and rolled all 27500 in with that. I think that was 2009 and Diamond is all I own today or will ever own, unless Marriott drops way down in resale price!
Even at a my latest DRI owners update, a mysterious and amazing find that I had some back offers to add points at under $3/pp ain't gonna happen!

[PHILL12 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PHILL12]

Never had interest in timeshares until we won a free week in PV MEXICO at the Oakland A's game back in the eighties. It was beautiful resort Los Tules and we had free dinner and as many before us bought at the presentation.

[stan2u Member Find all posts View Profile Close stan2u]

I can't remember the exact details any more, but it was a mail solicitation. Not from the developer, but not resale, either. In both my first and second purchases the developer went bankrupt and the unsold weeks were unloaded at extremely deep discounts in order to get owners that would pay maintenance. For example, original weeks were sold at $10K, but the discounted price for my first week was about $1000 and the second was for $1000 for two weeks. As I say, we were "first owners" but not from the developer. In the case of the second purchase the sales person called me up, saying it was the end of the year, and he was contracted to move so many units each year and wasn't making his target. He wanted $1500 for each week and when I balked he said well, what would it take. I replied how about $500. He said I'll do it if you take two weeks. And so it went!

[1950bing Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 1950bing]

1982-Got raked in off the street by a bunch of hawks, forced into a pressure cooker that never let up, promised the moon ( all lies ). We signed just to get out of there. Costs went up each year and it was one fee after another. Finally unloaded that crappy money pit for 1/2 what I gave for it. Been TS free for 9 years ! P.T.L.

[Tommyboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tommyboy]

After reading some of the stories, I recall that on our honeymoon we stayed in what was probably a timeshare in Napili, Maui. Fast forward to a Maui trip to Aston Kaanapali that my DW set up through AAA or something with our two DDs and their friends. We wanted a discount package for snorkeling and other entertainment that required a presentation next door at Sunterra now Diamond KBC. We thought that the package sounded pretty good with lots of resorts to exchange into. Expensive, yes but when you figure what we were paying for the less desirable Aston as compared to the Embassy KBC, not so bad. We did not find out what was available resale until after another developer purchase at San Luis Bay Inn. We have used our points every year to travel to some places we would never have done. Yeah, I would rather have done resale but we have had some fabulous vacations. Our kids have gone with us most of the time. Now they have families of their own and will be able to use some of our points for vacations.
Tom