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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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!