customization questions (design, front end, etc)

[That's Me]

I'm considering buying this for an ATV club site in Oregon. I have no experience whatsoever with forums. I would love detailed answers to these questions. Please take your time, I really appreciate the help here.

I know html and css very well. I sort of know how to read through php code. For example, I am very comfortable with the way wordpress templates are customized. Does anybody with experience in both believe I can customize my vbulletin site fairly easily? Will I get frustrated with how complicated and hard to find the editable areas are?

Is the vb code table based? That's not a huge deal, just wondering in terms of customization.

This site will be based primarily around the forums but I do want a separate front page with snippets grabbed from the latest forum posts. I want the main area of the front page to have larger, blog-style entries about the club's most immediate news. Would these be articles? Or should I use the vBulletin Blog feature? I also want a few other (can be static) pages (eg about page, contact page, etc.) What is the best front end solution that will integrate all this and conform to one unified design?

After the first year, is that $60 per year of updates for life?

That's all - thanks!

[Fusion]

I know html and css very well. I sort of know how to read through php code. For example, I am very comfortable with the way wordpress templates are customized. Does anybody with experience in both believe I can customize my vbulletin site fairly easily? Will I get frustrated with how complicated and hard to find the editable areas are?
vBulletin comes with a detailed on-line manual (http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/) so I don't think you'll have much difficulty. It may take some getting used to but that's normal.

Is the vb code table based? That's not a huge deal, just wondering in terms of customization.

To some degree yes, but we expect changes with the next major release, vBulletin 4.

This site will be based primarily around the forums but I do want a separate front page with snippets grabbed from the latest forum posts. I want the main area of the front page to have larger, blog-style entries about the club's most immediate news. Would these be articles? Or should I use the vBulletin Blog feature? I also want a few other (can be static) pages (eg about page, contact page, etc.) What is the best front end solution that will integrate all this and conform to one unified design?
There are several portals or self-proclaimed CMS solutions which integrate with vBulletin to a certain extent. One such is vBPortal (http://phpportals.com/modules/Intro/index.php).

After the first year, is that $60 per year of updates for life?
No, the renewal fee depends on wether you get a leased or owned version. The leased version has to be renewed each year to be allowed continued use, while the owned license can be used in perpetuity. With an owned license the renewal fee is for one year's worth of updates. This is decribed in detail here (https://www.vbulletin.com/order/).

That's all - thanks!
If you go for vBulletin I doubt you will regret the decision.

[That's Me]

If you go for vBulletin I doubt you will regret the decision.

And that's what matters, eh? Thanks a lot for your answers, they are very helpful.