Nikkor 70-300mm, to VR or not to VR?

I'm looking at purchasing a used Nikkor lens, and am debating between spending a bit extra on the VR or going the cheaper route with the same lens without the VR. What are the differences?

Added (1). For use with the D5100

VR helps reduce the effects of camera shake. At slower shutter speeds, a lens with VR should take a sharper photo than the same lens without it. I have a 70-200 Canon lens without VR or IS as canon calls it, and it doesn't bother me because I've learned the limits of what I can do hand-held. I believe the lens your considering has an aperature of 5.6 and higher. If so, that means it will let in less light than a larger aperature lens (like a 2.8 or lower aperature lens) and, as a result, would need a slower shutter speed in lower lit situations. Unless you know you will always be shooting in bright daylight (where shutter speeds will be high and VR won't matter) I would probably consider the VR. More of your images will come out sharper in that case.

VR can be a good feature to have. More important than the VR per se is that the non-VR model may be non-AF-S, and therefore would not autofocus with the D5100. Also the non-VR, non-AF-S models happen to be not as good.

Definitely get the VR version. It's a very important feature among slow telephoto lenses. Wihtout it, you will struggle to get a steady shot without a tripod in anything but bright sunlight.

Could you post the exact details of the lenses that you're being offered?