I’ve been a happy user of Nikon’s 1st generation Nikkor 18-200mm VR f3.5-5.6 DX lens since I got it for my Nikon D5000 shortly after I purchased the D5000. However, I quickly learned that a fast prime was a must so I also purchased the Nikkor 35mm f1.8 AF-S, which is an amazing (and cheap) lens, I highly recommend it.
As for the 18-200mm VR lens, it ended up spending more and more time collecting dust on the shelf after I upgraded my D5000 to the new Nikon D7000. An upgrade which was well worth-it in my case, I might add (also read: 5 reasons to replace your Nikon D5000 with D7000 and 5 reasons not to replace your Nikon D5000 with D7000). The only downside is, the D7000 demands quality glass. You’re not going to get worse pictures with D7000 and the same lenses as used on D5000 or similar, but D7000 more easily shows minor faults in your not-so-expensive lenses. For me, this meant my trusty old 18-200mm lens really started to show those compromises that everybody is talking about in terms of super zooms.