Vista is a far away land… Well, at least to those of us in central San Diego. I believe the I-5 south commute is the worst in the county. Well, other than the I-5 north commute when you go home. As an added bonus you have to take the 78 to get to/from the 5.
In areas further south, but still north of the 5/805 split, the commute still comes in to play, but at least each area (Carlsbad, Cardiff, Encinitas) has less of it to deal with and is coastal.
Vista’s a little sprawling, so there are some nice properties with some land, but all the rest doesn’t make it worth it for me personally.
As I recall, you’re moving down here, so the first thing I’d do is find out where you’re going to work. If you’re going to be downtown, it would be even worse.