Need Help Deciding.. Old Trek versus New Genesis
 

I have about $150 to spend and have narrowed it down to these choices:

2000 Trek 800 Sport. I got them down to $140 but that still seems high for a 14 year old bike:

Trek 800 Sport Mountain Bike

Good: Better brand name, owner claims to have only used it for 2 years
Bad: 14 years old, steel frame, no suspension, no warranty

Or this new bike that despite being a walmart bike seems to get decent reviews:

29" Genesis Bike, GS29 - Walmart.com

Good: New w/warranty, aluminum frame, 29" wheels, decent reviews
Bad: Not the best brand name

Which is the better buy? I'm not looking to hit the trails every day.. Will be used mostly for riding around town and occasional off road.

Thanks,
Dan

Trek.

Trek is better, but it's way overpriced. There's a 3700 a few listings above that looks to be the same size and is a much nicer bike, but is also way overpriced...dude's practically asking for what it was worth new. See if you can get that one down to $120ish. Trek Mountain Bike

Steel frame and no suspension should be in the "GOOD" section for the Trek.

get the one that fits better

x mart bikes generally only come in one size
but you can find a lots of sizes of used bikes
if you are patient

For real. My son rode that vintage 800 for years until he outgrew it. They are simple, well made, and should work for years. The Wal Mart bike might last a couple of months of moderate riding before you have to completely overhaul it or more likely, junk it.

When I visit Wally World or the Big Zero, I try to find time to check out their latest "bikes". The Genesis was one of the recent offerings. It's very heavy for a hardtail, also the wheels have an extremely high spoke count. I'm guessing this is to add strength to the rims. But this adds weight and truing a wheel must be a nightmare. The rear derailer is a really low end POS. The V brakes are decent quality so stopping should not be a problem.
I bought a used Trek 800 for my son to take to college. It survived the one year he had it out there, then with minimal effort, I cleaned it up and flipped it. They're great, almost bullet proof bikes. The Trek 800 will last as long as you want it too, then you can sell it for what you paid for it when you want to move up.
The Genesis will be lucky to have 1/4 it's original price within a year or two.

Trek steel mtn bikes are bullet proof, from the lowly 800 to the 900s. I have four 930s and a 970, great bikes, the newest is 18 years old, they don't wear out.
Try to get a deal on the Trek!

Thanks everyone for the feedback. It sounds like most people would go with the older Trek.

Here's another option I'm considering.. A Trek 4400 "Scheels Edition".. After searching the forum it sounds like this is just a 4300 with some better parts. They are asking $260.. How much better would this be than the 800 and what would be a fair price to offer? The owner isn't sure of the year since it is being sold as part of an estate sale.. I'm guessing it is about 7 years old:

Trek 4400 scheels edition

Thanks,
Dan

how tall are you
is the main thing you need to consider

the 800 is a 19.5"
or large
the 4300 doesnt say
but i would guess it is one size smaller

the genesis is probably a largeish size
and most people say 29 inch wheels
or 700c wheels with fat tires
as they are also known
make a bike feel a bit bigger than the same frame size with smaller wheels

as for the 4300 vs the 800
i can think of two major differences
the rear wheel on the 4300 probably has a freehub design
instead of a freewheel
and that is a pretty big upgrade in durability
especially for a bigger rider
and the 4300 has a suspension fork
which actually
imho
is less desirable than a rigid fork
for riding on paved or not too rough trails
and also makes it more likely to be targeted by a theif
but actually makes very little difference when riding on the road

the genesis has both the inferior freewheel design
and a cheapo suspension fork

the difference between a steel and aluminum frame
despite some peoples strongly held preferences
doesnt make a lick of difference in reality
save for a slight difference in weight
that will be dwarfed by the racks fenders locks and lights
added to most city bikes

FWIW, I've had my Trek 800 Sport for 14 years, and just this spring I noticed some rust spots on the handlebars.

Great bike!!