[louismgrafix]

I'm contemplating buying a new mac pro, since my g4 imac is just not cutting it these days. However, I'm not ready to pay $600 dollars for a 20" apple display. Is it possible (or just an insane idea) to use my imac g4 as just the monitor for a new mac pro until my bank account can recover from the hit of buying a new mac pro?

[Big Mac]

It's not possible to use your iMac's monitor as another computer's monitor, unfortunately. I also don't think it makes sense to buy a Mac Pro now because everyone's talking about an impending refresh of the line. But if you need it, you need it.

[tadd]

You can get a 20" LCD monitor for $250 or less and a 24" for $450ish.
NewEgg has a 20" for $239+shipping
"LG L204WT-SF Silver 20" 5ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor"

NewEgg has 24" for $489.99+shipping
"Samsung SyncMaster 245BW Widescreen LCD Monitor"

All of these companies (retailer and LCD Monitor manufacturers) are reliable and of good quality.