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My mid 70's now gives me a bit of experience. I've had several lapses in judgment over the years, like the 11 times we bought Marriott timeshares. The worst ones were when we bought from Marriott rather than in the resale market. Other lapses occurred as we attended presentations with promises to educate us. We caved to some and rescinded most. A couple of times, I got home, realized what a bad deal it was, rescinded, and then bought a resale within weeks. The lessons I learned: 1. Buy only what you will or could use. Consider the cost of travel. 2. Buy high demand rentable units like Newport Coast, OceanWatch, etc. in "great seasons." If you can't use them, they will rent easily. Annual maintenance fees will be about half of what would be required for an equivalent points reservation. Of note, good weeks can be had at bargain prices - see Redweek resale listings. 3. Points are too expensive in use. "Imagine," spending $50,000 upfront plus $2,800 in annual maintenance fees to have just enough points to stay a prime week at Newport Coast each year for 4,700 points. 4. How many points do you need? Buying less than 5,000 points ($50,000 cost) is foolish, as most good weeks require 4 to 5,000 points for a week reservation. The person who buys 1,500 or 2,000 points is a fool. 5. Financing point purchases - The high interest you will pay at 13.99% would pay for rental of a prime week or two each year. ($50,000 purchase at 13.99% = $6,995) 6. Remember timeshare obligations are "forever" - you're stuck with what you buy plus annual maintenance fees forever. 7. Getting the reservation you want is not always easy - everyone wants the better resorts and seasons. Renting is easier. 8. Finally, "purchase resale weeks as a points alternative." Buy great rentable resale weeks and use them. Should you want another resort, rent out your week and use the cash to rent the week you want. Example: You can buy a Newport Coast Platinum season week for well under $10,000 with $1,400 in annual maintenance fees. "Imagine" cash (just like points) can be used for cruises, to rent houses, attend special events, etc. Please comment, I'm listening. Dennis