Now that I hear FF3-DS is coming out, as well as a Mana game for DS, and my birthday coming up, I'm right on the cusp of deciding to pick one up.

Anyone know any other good arguments for and against an RPG fan getting a Nintendo DS, and anyone know which one to get and how to get one as cheaply as possible?

At this point... those are all you're going to get as far as RPGs go for the DS. Unless you don't have a GBA, (and if you don't, by all means buy a DS) there aren't many RPG titles coming out that look particularly interesting except perhaps those two.

That said, there are plenty of non-rpgs that might interest you.

Well, I can import Tales of the Tempest. And I've heard good things about Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time.

And..well, Mario Kart DS, the new Mario 2d game, the new 2d Castlevania game...

Oh, by the way Compman. I'm SopranoTek on Gamefaqs.

I'd very strongly advise going for it - not only for the great RPG titles available and upcoming for the DS, but also for the RPGs already out there for GBA Advance, as it can play both. It's win-win!

However, I'd also advise waiting just a few weeks - Nintendo will be announcing the final release date of the DS Lite on May 9th and it's a huge, huge improvement on the original, bulky and - admit it - ugly looking DS original. For a great look at the DS Lite, head over to http://www.cabel.name/ and watch Cabel's video reviews (three of them). They should be enough to persuade you!