[LeRoux Strydom]

One of Nikon's best portrait lenses is the 85 f1.4. It is rumoured that the current D-type lens is due to be updated to an AF-S type (in-lens focusing motor) with VR. I know someone who shot an entire wedding with the 85/1.4. Another good option for portraits is the 105VR/f2.8, which is actually a macro lens as well.

A good kit lens is the 18-135, it tested sharper than the 18-200 which has unacceptable distortion and zoom barrel creep.

I have a D80 and D300, with 12-24/f4, 24-70/f2.8 and 70-200/f2.8 and a couple of primes in the mix too. The autofocus on the D300 is awe-inspiring, not to mention that you can fire away at 8 fps (requires the optional battery grip attached) for action shots. You won't believe the 51-point 3D AF tracking until you see it happen before your eyes.