I like the look of wood better, but I'm not a fan of the maintenance and rot. I was initially looking for a vinyl clad, composite, etc for the exterior while getting a wood material for the inside, even though it will remain white; vinyl just looks a little cheap to me, especially with the welded joints (double hung). With that said I'm not opposed to vinyl. In fact I have had people to come out to quote vinyl. My understanding is that vinyl windows are generally a better window. However, with that said I've been getting mixed feedback on my project from companies that offer both. I also decided to talk to RBA and Pella even though I'm not a fan of the problems Pella has had. Those issues plus the price has crossed them off my list not unless you guys tell me to reconsider.
The big disadvantage with both RBA and Pella is that they say they can't keep my current window configuration as they don't make shapes and sizes like I have. RBA is more expensive, but I have a connection that got me a good deal. They are still more expensive than a great vinyl window, but not as much as you would think. With that said, they are still more and I could replace more windows with another brand. I want to replace all of the windows eventually as the home is 16 years old. It will take awhile because I have a TON of windows. So whomever gets my business will be happy lol.
The one issue I have with vinyl is loosing window space. However, with the window design in my great room, I'm not sure how much space I will actually lose because I have quite a bit of a border after the mullions. It appears that I have 2" - 2.5" of border before the glass. I'm not sure how much a vinyl insert would take. Does anyone have a comment on how much spacing it actually takes?
One of my big questions is the strength of using vinyl. Keep in mind I'm on the east coast with large west facing windows. I had two companies come out that both sell Marvin wood windows and a great vinyl. Both companies are HIGHLY recommended and rated for my area. The one company told me to go with vinyl not unless I had to have wood because it is a better window than Marvin. The other company told me to go with Marvin because they said they though vinyl would be a bad idea for my project and I should use a wood window. They said with the size of my windows, weather, and heat that they don't think it would hold up. They also mentioned that they recommended a metal spacer because they were afraid that the conditions would be too rough for the non-metal spacers and cause sagging. They mentioned Swiggle had this problem and are concerned about the longevity of the window. RBA and Pella said the same thing, but I expected them to say that

Since both are highly reputable companies that sell both Marvin and great vinyl windows, I'm not sure which direction to go in, vinyl or other. I've included pictures and dimensions below. Are there any brands that you would recommend based on my project? I'm waiting to hear back on the Marvin quote. Below are the quotes I got for the first phase of my project which includes more than what you see in the great room. Vinyl option will aluminum cap the brickmould, frame, and mullions except for one window that needs to be full replacement. The other brands are full replacement.
Vinyl: $59k
Pella: $65k
RBA: $71k
Marvin: TBD
Biggest delta is $12k between a great vinyl and RBA. If I want to color the vinyl windows, then I'm closer to the Pella quote.

To give you an idea of size, here are the dimension for the top windows.
Opening - 88.5" wide x 112" tall (roughly at the apex)
Two side windows are 19.5" wide x 55" tall
Spring windows is 25" wide x 75" tall (at apex)
The half moon (I forget what it is called) is 88.5" wide x 19.5" tall
Sorry for the long post. Any information is appreciated.