Wetsuit - go Basic or Fancy?

Kinda depends on your needs and budget. I have owned both "basic" and "higher end" models. The "basic" suits are good at keeping you warm and giving a lot of extra buoyancy, which many less confident swimmers depend on to get through the swim. (Not good, but it's a reality for some people). But that is at the expense of a bit of mobility and comfort in some areas like the shoulders. Personally, I swam fine in my basic suit, but never found it really comfortable and didn't enjoy OWS training in it.

I'm a decent swimmer (usually in the top 1-2 in my age group in smaller races and front of MOP in my best time at 70.3 Worlds) but I have a small build and strength isn't my forte--I guess I just have fairly good technique, some competitive swim background prior to tri, and train a lot. I found my arms and shoulders felt a lot more fatigued in the lower end suit. When it wore out, I replaced it with a higher-end one (not Roka, though) and have been very happy with it. Really no difference in race times, but my arms feel less fatigued when I get out of the water. I haven't noticed any difference in warmth, either, even though some of the panels are thinner.

Some people avoid the whole issue by getting a sleeveless suit; I can't wear those unless water is pretty warm as am very cold-blooded. I think the difference would be less noticeable for a bigger, stronger person. Would NOT recommend high-end suits for someone who really depends on the wetsuit's buoyancy to finish a race--the feel is a bit less "floaty" and might make them uncomfortable, depending on the model. I would say if you plan to stay in the sport and are a decent swimmer, maybe better to go ahead and treat yourself to a better-quality suit if you can afford it. Otherwise a basic one should be fine too.

I have an Xterra Vortex. I got it last year for my first year of tris and you really can't beat the pricing when you get those discount codes that are all over the internet (one availble through BT). I bought my wetsuit for just a little more than renting one. Any wetsuit will help with speed, I feel like I'm flying in the water when wearing my wetsuit. I am a bigger triathlete (5'10" 190lbs) and I as long as the wetsuit fits well you will be fine. I found that by cutting the the legs a little higher on my calf made it easier to get off and helped with the fit. Would I like one of those super slick fast ROKA suits? Oh yeah! However, if I was going to spend that money on something there are other things I think that would improve my training and speed more than a nicer wetsuit.