Except if you are renting a car on site you are throwing away a lot of the benefit personally. So that is $1,075 of cost avoided. I would also say you can get a standard view at Animal Kingdom Villas via DVC rental for around $2,800 for a 1 Bedroom so thats another $700 shaved off the pricing. So you are left with a $1000 difference or $142/night.
"Benefit" is subjective here. Some people don't feel Disney transportation is a benefit, but more of a hassle. Both she and my SIL and their whole family who own DVC and go frequently like to drive rather than deal with Disney transportation. They already have their flights booked or they would eliminate the rental entirely. There is some kind of dance competition/thing their daughter is in while they're there so they want to have their own transportation.
I am doing really quick random math on this as well but if I knew about her trip back at the start of the year she likely could have gotten Boardwalk Villas Studio at $17/point for $1800 for the 7 nights. Now you are left with a complete wash compared to staying offsite and renting that SUV.
I'm not debating that there are ways to do a Disney resort trip cheaper, I'm comparing what she
actually has booked now and how an offsite resort compares.
Here's the actual breakdown of costs that we're all currently going over.
OKW onsite
6 nights for $3,500
Rental SUV $150
Parking at OKW $144
Total = $3,794
SVR offsite
7 nights for $800
Rental SUV $150
Parking at parks, 5 days $125
Total = $1,075
Price difference = $2,719
But for argument's sake with your Boardwalk deal:
7 nights for $1,800
Rental SUV $150
Parking for 7 nights at BW @ $24 per night = $168
Total = $2,118.00
Price difference for BW vs SVR = $1,043. Not exactly a wash, IMO. ??
Also, cramming into a one bedroom or studio with three kids (2 girls, 1 boy) is not their "ideal" vacation. The lower cost alternatives you posted, while I appreciate you posting the prices for comparison, don't compare with SVR's two bedroom, two bathroom, full kitchen, etc. which offers them a lot more room.
I would contest are you not going to wait on trams, busses, and boats to get back to your parking? Also have a long day in the park is it not just nice to sit and not have to deal with traffic?
The only park, as I mentioned, that takes a while for us is MK. We typically park close enough in Epcot and AK that it's quicker to walk to the car. We've done it in HS also, but I've skipped that park the past two trips so I can't comment on what the new parking situation/new entrance is like. Sitting in my own comfortable car in air conditioning is a much better trip leaving the parks, IMO. And it's not like your driving for more than 20 minutes tops, traffic moves quickly and smoothly so it's not stressful in the least. At least to us.
As I mentioned, YMMV and to each his/her own. I can only comment on my experiences and those of my family, both DVC and non DVC, onsite and offsite. And these numbers are not "what if's" or "could be's", they're actual price differences that we can see and work with for her situation right now.
Bottom line is that everyone will pick the resorts, experiences, parks, transportation, etc, etc, that works for them and appeals to them individually. Nothing wrong with that. I am putting this out there in a thread about asking about saving money by staying offsite as we are currently dealing with a specific situation and going over what will work for her.