cruiserjs
Aurora, CO, USA/ Mesa AZ/ openroad
Moderator
Joined: 07/02/2003
View Profile
 Offline
|
To each his own!
Colorado Cruiser
Cruiser CF29CK 5th wheel; 2001 Silverado 2500HD shortbed
wonderful lifetime travelling companion/spouse
|
Happy_Trails
Fulltime, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 11/21/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
WTTCS wrote:Then some of you need to read all the post on memberships and the problems encountered . If they are that good, why can you buy them for pennies on the dollar?
Study long, study hard, then make the choice dependent on your needs.
Because like the one I bought on eBay, many eventually sell it on eBay, for their own reasons. None of their children are interested, etc. Most figure they more than got their money's worth before it came time to sell. So they are not considering it a loss. If you buy a meal in a restaurant, you pay for it, enjoy it, enjoy the memory. But, would think it ridiculous sell what remains. Value in a membership is consumed as you use it. BUT, you can still recover some value on eBay or give it to a relative, etc. Then, it is worth as much to them, as it has been to me, and they can still sell it. Many who sell them on eBay, bought them on eBay. Today I can sell my membership for more than I paid for it, but never will. Some have no one who wants to RV so they sell it on eBay. No surprises there.
There may be a relative that it can go to, I have some who are RV'ers who are younger. One son never wants to camp, preferring to stay in hotels, expensive ones. (His wife would rather have the membership.) But, he will probably find that he can't afford that when he retires, certainly not 365 days a year. One of my sons loves the idea of getting a membership. One of my daughters said years ago she was not interested, has lately expressed an interest. With 17 grandchildren others may want it. Ive got some nephews who have said if my kids don't want it, give it to them. When I pass on, can leave my _ONE_ membership, to FOUR relatives, to me that makes it worth four times what I paid for it.
The first year I had my membership, it not only paid for itself, but I saved the over $13,000 that I had to pay the previous years in campgrounds that were not as nice as Thousand Trails. So even if Id had to pay full price for it, Id have considered it a bargain.
For the next 13 years, I paid $450 a year in dues, that covered water/electric/sewer... In CA, it would not have even covered my electric for a year.
Even if I just paid, $3 a night for electric, it would have cost me more than double, what my years membership cost. But, LESS than my electric bill. Even in other memberships, $3 a night is much better than $35... a night. Plus, we stayed in some parks with ROD, where non-members paid $89 a night. If we added up the actual cost saved, last year, it would be much more than $13K.
To us, it is a bargain no matter how you look at it.
PLUS I now have saved _over_ $13,000 for fourteen years. The parks we stayed in then, were charging #25 a night, now charging $35-45 or more...
Like I have said many times, if you use it, it is worth it.
If you do not, _then_ it is not. However, the average person who is full timing will use it enough to make it worth while.
Even for some who are not full timing, if they use it two weeks once a year, and one weekend a month, would still find they save... Especially those who live within 1 or 2 hours driving distance to a Thousand Trails. Plus, the TTN parks are much nicer than National or State parks, and have a lot more facilities.
We stayed in Yosemite Lakes this summer 6 miles from Yosemite National Park, and went into the park daily for three weeks. That alone saved us $600 in camping fees, _if_ we could have stayed three weeks. But of course sites are limited to 14 days, so it would have been $400, for sites where if you stuck your hand out the window, it would be in your neighbors. Of course there is the cost of gas, but to drive 6 miles a day to get into the park is not that great, even at the price of gas. In the park we used the free shuttle.
IF you buy the membership on eBay, it is just a bigger bargain.
* This post was
edited 09/22/08 08:06pm by Happy_Trails *
Bob & Nadine
1984 Allegro 23 feet, always at home!
Living Life With a "Golden Age Passport"
and Thousand Trails VIP Membership, Priceless!.
|
Happy_Trails
Fulltime, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 11/21/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
Bluebird Bob wrote:It seems TT is having troubles keeping their parks up. Wonder if new owners want to faze out owners and make it more open to the public.
Also, doesn't TT require you pay for LIFE unless you sell your membership?
Strange it does not seem that way to me, Ive spent time in 37 parks last year, and 21 different ones so far this year. The parks are _better_ maintained than other commercial parks Ive been in with ROD OR C2C. For the last three years, TT has spent at least $90,000 per park OVER the regular budget parks have. In two parks they spend 1.2 million in upgrades, and will continue it, where it is needed.
The new owners have the same rules, and only members are allowed.
If Not a member, you can get in only as a guest of a member, and the cost varies from $40-50 a night. Otherwise you can only get one weekend a year, which requires attending a presentation the first day.
It is a myth that TTN requires you to pay for life, you also do not have to sell the membership. You can just send a registered letter stating you no longer with to keep your membership.
|
BarbaraOK
Livingston, Texas, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 10/27/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
WTTCS wrote:Then some of you need to read all the post on memberships and the problems encountered . If they are that good, why can you buy them for pennies on the dollar?
Study long, study hard, then make the choice dependent on your needs.
Often people buy these thinking they are going to use them all of the time - and then don't. Why are there all of these RVs for sale - because people found they didn't like the lifestyle. Or one partner has ill health or died and they are no longer RVing. That's why the sell the memberships and why they are selling the RVs.
You know, we keep having these same conversations. Yes, there were problems in the past. There are still problems with some of the outfits. Read the contracts, then read again. Make sure you understand what you are getting. But for a LOT of us, they WORK very well and keep our costs down.
Barb
Barb & Dave - full-timing
Traveling catpanions Kit (age 18) and Shadow (age 11)
Figment II (2002 Alpine 36 MDDS) 
Mischief (2004 Subaru Forester Toad) 
FMCA - F337834, SKP #90761
http://homepage.mac.com/barbaraok/
Our blog
|
WTTCS
freedom , U.S.A.
Senior Member
Joined: 07/28/2003
View Profile
|
Barb, nothing in my post say not to buy. My post simply state, as your pointed out, if you use them, they are a good deal. Out west they are almost mandatory for the average Joe Blow to go camping.
I say and I shout, study long, study hard (and that means reading post on these in the past), and if you think without doubt it will benefit you and your family, go for it. BUT buy a used membership!!!!!
1997 chev crew cab 454, 5 sp. 4.10
2000 Fleetwood Caribou 11.5
|
|
|
phil crouch
NW Oregon
Senior Member
Joined: 06/18/2001
View Profile
|
WTTCS wrote:Then some of you need to read all the post on memberships and the problems encountered . If they are that good, why can you buy them for pennies on the dollar?
Study long, study hard, then make the choice dependent on your needs.
I wish when I bought my RESALE,it was pennies on the dollar.. New membership cost in my home park is $1275.. We paid $800 including transfer fees, and consider it was a bargain for us..
Buying a NEW membership is just like buying a NEW motorhome, car, boat or almost anything else,, never expect to get the full price we paid for it, when we sell it..
WE did study long, study hard before making our decision, and over 10 years later, still consider our membership a good buy...
However, doubt we will get $800 when/if we decide to sell it.. The amount of time we have used it so far, has more than paid for itself several times over..
Even thou we no longer fulltime, decided to keep our membership for now.. BUT there will come a time when we no longer will want it.. At that time we can sell it, give it away or just turn it back..
I also realize Campground Memberships are not for everyone but has worked very well for me and many others that did their research before buying into one..
|
TimfmCT
Connecticut
New Member
Joined: 02/05/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
WE did study long, study hard before making our decision, and over 10 years later, still consider our membership a good buy...
However, doubt we will get $800 when/if we decide to sell it.. The amount of time we have used it so far, has more than paid for itself several times over..
Phil,
I' ve been looking for TT memberships on e-bay. All of them are going for much more than $800. I'm wondering why you don't think that you'll get $800 for yours, IF you decided to sell it.
When buying from an individual are there specific things to look for?
We live in Connecticut and would like to go to warm places in the winter (Alabama,Florida,etc. and north in the summer. Are there plenty of TT campgrounds in those areas?
|
phil crouch
NW Oregon
Senior Member
Joined: 06/18/2001
View Profile
|
Hi Tim.. I do not own a TT membership.. We could not find one for pennies on the dollar back then..
We did look and even went to a couple of sales presentations, liked the parks but found a different membership that filled our needs..
We have a Camnpground Membership that is affiliated with C2C, RPI, ROD..
|
WTTCS
freedom , U.S.A.
Senior Member
Joined: 07/28/2003
View Profile
|
Google up Membership resales and check craigs list. Visit Escapees website, and you will find many many TT for from `140.00 to 2000.00. When buying a TT membership, make sure you are able to sell it if you so desire. Many contracts prohibit the 3rd party from selling, giving or just dropping it. Then you have to pay the dues for life.
Get the membership number and call TT at their 800 number and get them to forward all cost and info IN WRITING TO YOU. Never let go of that letter. Then go to TT website , click on locations and you can see where every TT preserve is in america , plus check the affilated clubs that you CAN get with your TT membership and see where they are located.
Please study long and study them complete BEFORE you lay out any money.
|
TimfmCT
Connecticut
New Member
Joined: 02/05/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
WTTCS wrote:Google up Membership resales and check craigs list. Visit Escapees website, and you will find many many TT for from `140.00 to 2000.00. When buying a TT membership, make sure you are able to sell it if you so desire. Many contracts prohibit the 3rd party from selling, giving or just dropping it. Then you have to pay the dues for life.
Get the membership number and call TT at their 800 number and get them to forward all cost and info IN WRITING TO YOU. Never let go of that letter. Then go to TT website , click on locations and you can see where every TT preserve is in america , plus check the affilated clubs that you CAN get with your TT membership and see where they are located.
Please study long and study them complete BEFORE you lay out any money.
Hi, I did look on Craigs list and found one for $800 and a $299 tranfer fee and a $94 quarterly fee.
But, it was only for two campgrounds. Is that typical? I thought they were for like a hundred cxampgrounds??
Tim fm CT
|
|
|
|
