vinal versus wood

As a contractor in maine i generally find my costumers often cant decide weather to use vinal products to protect the exterior of there home or traditional wood methods. What people really need to keep into account is how long will a paint job last on the kind of wood there house is sided with by testing it for rot as well as knowing how soft the type of wood really is . Consider what the impact of value is on the home , if you are doing a restoration then the choice should be simple, if you a looking for a long term economical way to keep your home looking ok and virtually maintencfree aside from an occational pressure wash than vinal is final or is it?