value and quality of a used bike I am considering..

It is a bike by giant bicycle, an eddie bauer, says " vortex"on the fork, softail suspension. It is a bit banged up but light, I have very little money to spend on a bike unless I use credit I can't afford right now. I want to use it mostly for easy trail and street riding as I live in suburbs of nyc (trafficky suburbs). I am 56 and need to lose weight. I'm a lady, need a light comfortable strong bike that is easy to get on and off of! My son works at a an LBS and I tested a trek comfort model which I loved but can't afford right now...what to do?

 

FWIW. As a rule-of-thumb, any bike which is sold by REI will be as-good-as-or-better-than a comparably priced bike from most LBSes ...

• you can frequently use the level of the components on a bike to gauge the probable MSRP ...

BTW. "banged up" means different things to different people ...

• cosmetic?
• mechanical?
• both?
• other?!?

Depending on what "banged up" means, figure on $100-to-$200 ...

• 'I' would allow for the possibility of $100 in PARTS which I would hope that your son would be willing to install on any bike you might own without charging you since you are the one who nurtured him through his formative years ...
• and so, determine the initial out-of-pocket cost, accordingly ...

IMO, if the frame of the GIANT which you are looking at fits YOU & the price is under $200 (?), then that is probably what you should buy rather than a new bike which will cost at least 2x as much & exceed your budget ...

However, you need to realize that some people wouldn't pay more than $50 for a used bike ... they may be right.