Timeshare or RV? Which gives you more value?

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

The secret to getting the most value from either one is to use it.....

At the end of the day..it might be a tossup.... but, at least the RV is a tangible asset... that you can drive around.

Of course, maintenance is an issue on both..….

I know people who have used "timeshares"... heck, Thousand Trails is an RV timeshare......

SO.... which is the better value..... answer...the one you use.

Any disagreement?

[<<B-Guy>>]

Probably a little easier to get out of a Class B than out of a timeshare!

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by <<B-Guy>>

Probably a little easier to get out of a Class B than out of a timeshare!

That was my thought, too. Timeshares can be tricky to unload. I don’t know that they depreciate like a motor vehicle, though. Never considered one myself.

A Class B requires more personal involvement in upkeep and repair. Time is money.

The general principle applies to pretty much any property that is not for primarily investment purposes. It only makes sense to buy something if you will use it. The more you use it the better value it is.

It hard to know how much you will really use something new, however, and marketers are skilled at leading people to greatly overestimate the use they will get. Best to find creative ways to dip your toe into a particular lifestyle before making a major purchase.

[warpig]

Generally, you get "ownership" of a timeshare one week per year.

With an RV, you get ownership (quotes removed) for 52 weeks per year.

RV>TS

[jrobe]

The best value of all is a hotel. There is no up front purchase, no commitment, no maintenance, no insurance, no storage, complete flexility, etc etc etc..

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by jrobe

The best value of all is a hotel. There is no up front purchase, no commitment, no maintenance, no insurance, no storage, complete flexility, etc etc etc..

From a purely financial perspective, that is probably TRUE.

You pay as you go.... but, you lose some of the "adventure" of an RV......

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

That was my thought, too. Timeshares can be tricky to unload. I don’t know that they depreciate like a motor vehicle, though. Never considered one myself.

A Class B requires more personal involvement in upkeep and repair. Time is money.

The general principle applies to pretty much any property that is not for primarily investment purposes. It only makes sense to buy something if you will use it. The more you use it the better value it is.

It hard to know how much you will really use something new, however, and marketers are skilled at leading people to greatly overestimate the use they will get. Best to find creative ways to dip your toe into a particular lifestyle before making a major purchase.

We use ours for 30 -45 days per year... average....
And, have put 20,000 miles on it over two years..... first year more miles than the 2nd year.......

It's not a daily driver, but, we have used it for weekend or day trips to the beach.

[Rocketman53]

There is a growing industry to free people from the perpetual expenses of "owning" a timeshare. I suspect the answer lies there.

And to each his own.

[GallenH]

I agree with jrobe. But it depends on how much you use your RV. If you're a full-timer or if you're a sometimes-weekend-warrior. "Adventure" means different things to different people. I could have explored Glacier just as easily by staying at one of the historic lodges there. Going to China, Cuba, Peru, and the Eastern bloc were, for me, quite the "adventures."

Many time shares are now a lot like hotels. A relative of mine has had one for over 10 years and it is in a more condo like complex where you don't have a permanent place. You might stay in one apartment one stay. Another apartment for the next. I've been happy with the AirBnBs that I've stayed at abroad. Another venue I've explored is sabbaticalhomes.com. Despite the name, you don't have to be a professor on sabbatical to rent one of these.

[gerrym51]

I bough a Disneyworld timeshare(disney vacation club) in 1993 and sold it in
january 2019 for 10,000 dollars more than i paid for it in 1993. with inflation probably break even.

We went to disneyworld every year and sometimes twice in 1 year. always loved it.

If you going to buy a timeshare DVC is the one. My sold in 3 weeks.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

I bough a Disneyworld timeshare(disney vacation club) in 1993 and sold it in
january 2019 for 10,000 dollars more than i paid for it in 1993. with inflation probably break even.

We went to disneyworld every year and sometimes twice in 1 year. always loved it.

If you going to buy a timeshare DVC is the one. My sold in 3 weeks.

A friend has Hilton timeshares.... uses it and has definitely thought he got a great deal. You have to use it... Otherwise, it's not worthwhile.. just like the RV.

[BillsPaseo]

We were gifted a one-week timeshare ownership (beachfront in Clearwater, FL) about 25 years ago from my parents. Used it or traded it the first few years, but found it really difficult to trade for locations we wanted to travel to, and the annual maintenance fees were almost as high as a one week hotel bill in most resorts, so by the time you added in the fees to trade locations, it just didn't make sense.

We tried to sell it, but no luck. We finally just signed it over to the management company of the resort just to get out from under it.

Never again...

[GeorgeRa]

For a more complete picture in addition to an RV, or time share a vacation property should be added.

1. RV – use anywhere anytime, financially just a cost of pleasure or a cost of living if fulltiming.
2. Timeshare – fixed location(s) with planning required and time constrained, unlikely an appreciating asset.
3. Vacation property – fixed location, use anytime, financially better than other two.

[Davydd]

Living in Minnesota I know my fair share of people who own lake cabins up nort'. A few in my extended family. One cousin owns a cabin situated on a 90 acre lake entirely within a 440 acre woods backed up to an extended state forest. We go up there in July every year with 20+ family members for a get together and take our Class B of course. Several tent camp and there are usually a couple of other RV's because the log cabin can hold about 8. That's enough for me and I don't have to own a second home or time share. I try to get up to the North Shore and Gunflint Trail at least two times per year. With the Class B we average over 20,000 miles per year traveling the country.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Living in Minnesota I know my fair share of people who own lake cabins up nort'. A few in my extended family. One cousin owns a cabin situated on a 90 acre lake entirely within a 440 acre woods backed up to an extended state forest. We go up there in July every year with 20+ family members for a get together and take our Class B of course. Several tent camp and there are usually a couple of other RV's because the log cabin can hold about 8. That's enough for me and I don't have to own a second home or time share. I try to get up to the North Shore and Gunflint Trail at least two times per year. With the Class B we average over 20,000 miles per year traveling the country.

Is it truly an authentic old "log cabin" or a house that resembles one as in "built to look" like a log cabin?

There's a lot of "cottages" in the lakes area and many from the period don't necessarily look like houses many people expect from the 19rh century......if you know what I mean.

20,000 miles annually is a huge number of miles..... I can see why you trade in your Class B's every 5 or 6 years.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Living in Minnesota I know my fair share of people who own lake cabins up nort'. A few in my extended family. One cousin owns a cabin situated on a 90 acre lake entirely within a 440 acre woods backed up to an extended state forest. We go up there in July every year with 20+ family members for a get together and take our Class B of course. Several tent camp and there are usually a couple of other RV's because the log cabin can hold about 8. That's enough for me and I don't have to own a second home or time share. I try to get up to the North Shore and Gunflint Trail at least two times per year. With the Class B we average over 20,000 miles per year traveling the country.

Very different perspective with vacation property out of the driving range from NA. We have a condominium in downtown Cracow and it proved itself to be an excellent hub for European travels. We use it extensively every year. Bought it 15 years ago and it appreciated almost tenfold.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Is it truly an authentic old "log cabin" or a house that resembles one as in "built to look" like a log cabin?

There's a lot of "cottages" in the lakes area and many from the period don't necessarily look like houses many people expect from the 19rh century......if you know what I mean.

20,000 miles annually is a huge number of miles..... I can see why you trade in your Class B's every 5 or 6 years.

Authentic log cabin built in the late 1960’s. I didn’t live in Minnesota then so didn’t participate. There are 9 association owners situated on one side of the lake so as to present a wilderness view for all. The latest cabin finished up last year on that lake was a mortise and tenon wood pegged heavy timber frame house built from salvaged barn wood.

I designed, cut the timbers and built my own heavy timber frame home in 1983 so know the construction technique intimately. We had an old fashion timber frame raising in one day with family and friends. My home was in Tonka Bay, MN. I sold it two years ago kind of reluctantly but knew a 5 level home with an acre and a half of virgin woods was no longer practical for this retired person to maintain.

[SteveJ]

I'll play. Purchased my 2000 200 Roadtrek approximately 6 years ago for $10,500. I've since stuck approximately 4 to 5000 into maintenance and conditioning and in other miscellaneous issues such as a replacement refrigerator. I've spent about two years out of the last three and a half on the road with it. it's obvious to me which one is more convenient and definitely, for me, more enjoyable. I've put about 60,000 miles on the Roadtrek and another 60,000 miles on a couple of different motorcycles. Yeehaw. The Roadtrekk now has 195,000 miles on it and it still performs as it should.

On TDY near Black Hawk, Colorado.

[Knit]

Originally Posted by jrobe

The best value of all is a hotel. There is no up front purchase, no commitment, no maintenance, no insurance, no storage, complete flexility, etc etc etc..

For some reason, I can’t seem to figure out how to boondock in a hotel. IMG_1322.jpg

[Bud]

Originally Posted by Knit

For some reason, I can’t seem to figure out how to boondock in a hotel. Attachment 7810

Not a problem.

Last hurricane, I boondocked in my driveway while my next door neighbor boondocked downtown New Orleans in a fancy hotel, off grid. He said that the generator was so quiet he never heard it once, not an onan. My neighbor had to rough it while I syphoned gasoline from his pickup truck.

Bud