Originally Posted by rebelcontender

Hi there.

I worked on and road these bikes back in their day, so I have a couple of points to make.

Keep in mind that these bikes where top end tech in the day, but regardless are very old for a full suspension MTB now.
The shock should be no more problematic than an ordinary design, that said all old shocks will probably need work and finding service for these may or may not be hard these days, check around some local workshops.

The other problem is that the pivot bushings may or may not be worn and needing replacement at some point: expensive job and beyond most home mechanics.

Third point, old aluminium frames that have seen a lot of trail work can be fairly fatigued. check well for dents and possible cracks, from memory we replaced a few epic swing arms for cracks back in the day.

For a new MTB rider, I would say your money is better spent on a new quality hard tail like some of the ones you mentioned.