Mountain Biking - New to mountain biking... what bike do i need?

I want to start a sport/hobby with my friend. Im really in to my health and my body. Im 18 live in South Cali. So i figured mountain biking would be a great sport for me since im in to excercise and nature.
I dont want to make you guys read a whole essay so ill make my concern short. I need a bike to start.

Bike that i hope to get: $270-$330, Strong and wont brake under hard driving (but not to hard), front suspention, good looking :).

Thank you.

You will need to go to your LBS and test ride a few. For the test ride, try:
Specialized Hardrock Sport
Trek 3500,3700,or 3900
Giant Rincon or similar
Kona Lana'i
Just a few to get familiar with.

Yeah as far as the bike goes..get a hardrock they have indestructable frames and accept lots of upgrades

Is there a big difference between thies bikes like performance cuz they look preatty much the same

Hardrock
Trek 3700, 3900
Giant Rincon
Kona Lona'i

since you are a newbie, a long drawn out discussion on component types would be just wasted electrons. But they are pretty much the same. So, what you need to do is find LBS(s) in your area that carry those bikes (just one store probably will not have all of those bikes) and give them a test ride. Some people are gonna swear one is better than another b/c of brand loyalty, but you just need to find a bike that "feels" good when you're on it and a company that will back up the bike, i.e. warranty it. Visit the websites, email the companies, etc... they will get back to you.
Good luck in your research :beer:

I want to start a sport/hobby with my friend. Im really in to my health and my body. Im 18 live in South Cali. So i figured mountain biking would be a great sport for me since im in to excercise and nature.
I dont want to make you guys read a whole essay so ill make my concern short. I need a bike to start.

Bike that i hope to get: $270-$330, Strong and wont brake under hard driving (but not to hard), front suspention, good looking :).

Thank you.
What you need to do is read the FAQ
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=67259

What you need to do is read the FAQ
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=67259

Yep, you do need to do that as well :D

Khs