Whats wrong with the Nikkor 70-200 4.0 VRIII ?

Actually, I was thinking of statements such as "it won't be cheap enough for a lot of people if it creeps towards the $1000 dollar mark." 

I own an 80-200mm f/4 AI-s, for which I paid just over $100.  It was a very nice lens for its time, but its time was 30 years ago.  I "chipped" it for use on an IR-converted D70 -- here's one of my wife's shots using that combo:

--
I miss the days when I used to be nostalgic.