BMX - Opinions on purchase

I bought a Mongoose Rebel at a yard sale the other day for $20... What should I do to try and make it a better bike for street riding? I've always just ridden my bikes as is without thought of upgrade or improvement...

And did I just waste $20?

Yep

Take off everything you don't need like reflectors, kickstand, brakes, etc. Get some good tires without too much tread, some good pedals, and make the bars parallel to the fork or you'll never be able to ride a normal bike because you'll get used to a screwy one.

What about the wheels themselves? These here are those star spoked wheels, but I have no idea whether or not they're any good or not. They seem straight and not bent at all... But I'm doubting that counts for much.

for 20 bucks its a sweet bike to mess around on, but it wont hold up to any serious riding. Use it to learn the basics and buy a better complete

I tried the damned thing out after I stripped it down and got it in order... And it's got to weigh at least 40lbs... There's no way that my out of shape ass is going to wing that thing around without breaking something... Me or the bike.

So, I decided to get myself a new(er) complete from Dan's Comp and start there. I'll give the Rebel to my nephew and call it a $20 loss.

So with a budget of about $300 and the knowledge that it will be mostly for park and flatland riding... Are there any suggestions out there?

And would I be better starting from scratch and buying it piece by piece, considering that I'm not that experienced at building my own bike and there's not a shop for 60+ miles...

And should I keep the star shaped mags?

If you wanted to go custom it would cost easily over $1000.

I was looking at the 2008 Verde Radia on Dans Comp?

It seems to fit what I'm wanting, but I'm not altogether certain.

its a little iffy. it has some good parts but it doesnt have a full chromo frame. same with the forks. full chromo is important if you want your bike to last you for a while. other stuff is just too weak.