There are actually 2 different versions of it. I have the older first version. I decided not to upgrade when the 2nd version came out due to tradeoffs in handling issues with the 2nd version and the way I use this lens. Thom Hogan does a good review of the 2nd version, including what the differences are:
http://www.bythom.com/nikkor-70-200-VR-II-lens.htm
One thing you'll want to budget for is a good tripod, especially if you want to use this lens for nature photography. This is a big and heavy piece of glass and while it performs well while handholding or with a monopod, a good tripod is something you're almost certainly going to want. If you want to save some money on the tripod, look at the Bogen/Manfrotto 30XX tripods on the used market. You can find a lot of them on ebay. They are build like a tank and made to last forever. They are a lot heavier than carbon fiber, but you get all the stability at a fraction of the cost of a high end carbon fiber tripod.
http://photo.net/learn/nature/bogtri
Other accessories worth considering is a set of Kenko extension tubes (do NOT go with cheaper tubes with this lens). Extension tubes on a lens like this will allow you to focus much closer and explore the world of small creatures which will greatly increase the utility of this lens for nature photography. 2x teleconverters also work pretty well with this lens. I recommend the Kenko N-AF 2x Teleplus Pro 300. This one actually performs as well as my Nikon 2x teleconverters with this lens at a fraction of the cost. Just for fun I actually stacked stacked the Kenko 2x behind one of my Nikon 2x behind this lens (which I don't recommend for most photography) and took a picture of the moon. The results were surprisingly acceptable although certainly not spectacular.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/103612061#post17
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