I still have my original silver D.S and am very proud of the low Serial number.
But the lite is more solid and it doesn't have that annoying pop when you turn it on/off.
Oh and I use the DS browser so a lite is a must.
The only thing I miss about carting my original D.S around is the carry case.
I've yet to find a similar (or even half decent) one for the lite that has the plastic inserts for your games.