Here is my take.

Mongoose been around since late 70's and was the Shizz back in the 80's.
Movies like RAD and BMX bandits shows alot of Mongoose bikes, maybe it was a promo deal. But I had a 83' Mongoose and used to race in 88'. Bike was tuff as heck and I could not break it for nothing!! Launch, ramp, ditches and flips. Nope not even a frame crack. I even had the single gooseneck on it. I tried everything in my power to break it to get the new haro. Even my older borther tried breaking it on ramps and stuff and no luck!! Plain out good stuff made!! But mums just laughed at me when I begged for a new bike. If anything, mongoose is one of the almighty that started the whole BMX racing and older corp bikes like Huffy and Schwinn started the whole era of just bikes alone!!!

Now I am 28 years old and still to this day love BMXs. Its been along time since I paid attention to them since the faze in the late 90s or maybe it was just me b/c I got a licenses to drive a car and never needed a bike in my teen years. But as for the new Mongoose they look as for logo appearence looks like a toy bike. Not saying they are, but just its style now and all the kiddie stickers. So I was browseing around local chain stores and saw Mongooses at Wal-Mart and Academy stores. I was like hummm.
But I sat on one and kind of jerk the handle bars and they shifted down. Maybe they were loose, but it just felt cheap. I even rode the Redline, haro F2's and Diamonback Joker and they all seemed to be better bikes, but those 3 are from a bike shop and were solid bikes. Maybe I will check out mongoose at one of the bike shops in town, they cary the PRO series, which I am sure are better made and not cheap like the ones at chain merchant stores.

But I say if you were to get a Mongoose, I would recommend the PRO like which are the ones sold at your local BIKE PRO SHOPS, not wal-marts or big chain stores, they carry the EL Cheapo ones that I am sure will not last for nothing!! Good luck!!