Using Nero 9 atm and like all of you i hate their smartstart feature.
Never was much of a fan for the nero express either, but its always possible to open up the regular Nero in the start menu and from there i can't see that Nero has made any significant change since around v7
And in several versions you can disable the smartstart installation and get rid of it altogether aswell as select what parts you like to get the burning software you want.
But as said, if you like v7 and wish to stick to it, by all means, do, but v9 isn't that different if you set it up right which again isn't that hard doing a custom installation.
However the free Nero out there (yes Nero has released a free v9 Nero called Nero Essentials) it SUCKS, don't get it. Its like Photoshop Elements, its a nerfed version missing just about everything which makes Nero good. Better to buy a proper version and get something good than go for something bad.
I wonder if there is any good opensource burning software out there though.