Buying Freeride/AM Bike... Advice needed.
 

Hi there, i have recently been looking into buying a bike. First i though i wanted a XC bike, but after some more research i have decided a more durable/aggressive bike is something i am more interested in.

About me:
I will be using this bike for some XC (nothing competitive, just looking for an efficient ride) minor downhilling, some jumps (nothing massive) technical stuff (natural ones, as well as log tides, skinnies, and such) and maybe some minor drops (nothing HUGE).

Bikes I am currently interested in:
Kona Dawg
Cove Stiffee
Rocky Mountain ETSX

Price:
I am probably going to look for something used, as my price range is around the $1200 mark.

All of those choices would probably be fine, I've been riding a Jamis Dakar XLT and wouldn't ride anything else for the kind of riding your describing hell you could even race it even though its hardly what anyone would call a XC race machine. You should also be able to find one in your price range if you do a bit of looking.

I raced my XLT this year and did okay. It's a bit more of a chore to hang with the hardtails, but it's worth it when you get to the DH's and rough-stuff. You could build one that's air sprung on the cheap within your price range and still have something with platform that's relatively light.