Will a search engine spider lessen your chances for a higher placement just because you choose to use a template?  Some people believe that it's important to avoid using a template website design based on the premise that one gets what they pay for.  In other words, a site that costs thousands to build will fare much better than a generic model.  Although it's true that engines look at the amount of content, i.e. pages, there's plenty of evidence to support the notion that it doesn't make any different everything being equal.

From experience I've had the same amount of successes using a "quickie" website design than a site that was developed from scratch.  Having said that we all know that the designer is limited as to what features a template will allow.  But if you can find a template that fulfills your needs the spider will not penalize you for your choice of design.