Hi, I am in te same boat as Steve. I'd like to get a 24" BMX to have fun on, but I have been out of the BMX world for a long time. There are so many brands that I have never heard of that I'm not really sure what to consider.
There are a couple of bikes that I have seen in bike shops and liked. I liked the Diamondback Lucky 24, the DK General Lee 24, and the DK Charger 24 (Aluminum). There is also a We The People dealer near me, but I haven't been in there yet. I heard that they have one called the Avenue 24. I looked at the Mirra Icon 20Forty, but didn't really like the paint scheme.
I agree that there are some nice used bikes on ebay, but it can be difficult to find them, and some of the prices are outragous.