Since she's only 8yo (and tall for her age) and doesn't ride too often and will eventually outgrow the thing (thus necessitating a last upgrade to a 26"), I don't want to spend a whole bunch of money on a new bike for her. I figure $200 is the most I want to spend at this point. Maybe when she's 12 or 13, I'll buy her a better brand bike like a Trek, etc., if she's big into biking. Here are the two options I'm looking at now and am rather torn between the two (although I'm leaning towards getting her the Nishiki because it's lighter by 6 lbs):

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nishiki-girls-pueblo-mountain-bike-16nisynshkpbl15gxgjm/16nisynshkpbl15gxgjm?&color=Teal

http://www.toysrus.com/buy/mountain-bikes/girls-24-inch-schwinn-byway-bike-s3435tra-71370596

Anyone have experience with either of these brands? I know they're both on the lower end, but which would be the better low end bike? Thanks.

Just bought my 8 year old daughter a Huffy Sea Star from Walmart.  Back wheel went out on it.  Started clicking and clacking loudly.  Guessing it must have some sort of clutch or something in it that broke.  Her replacement is a Dynacomp Magna from Target.  It's working so far.  She rode a Schwinn for a long time before with no issues.

My 3 kids grew up riding Walmart bikes.  Schwinn, Huffy, etc.  Never had a problem with any of them.  They grew out of them and the bikes were sold at tag sales long before we ran into any mechanical issues.

Let's see...  About the only differentiating feature I can see in either of them is the fact that the Nishiki has Shimano components.  They're bottom-of-the-line Shimano, but that's still better than no-name parts.

You might want to swing by a store and check into extra-small 27.5" bikes.  A lot of kids that are going to ride bikes with 24" wheels can make an XS frame work, and then you're covered a little longer.

At her age just take her to Walmart and let her pick out one about her size and in the colors she likes.

If she likes how it looks and picks it out herself she will be more likely to ride it and take care of it.

She will be in the next size up in a few years anyway and you can just hand me down the old one to a kid that can use it.

My daughter has a Nishiki Pueblo from Dick's. Decent bike for the price.

We looked at cheaper bikes from Walmart and other similar places. Pretty much crap.

We have had good luck with bikes from Dick's.

Decent quality but much less expensive than top name brands from bike stores.

The Schwinn comes with a Shimano rear derailleur, not sure if the front is as well. Pretty sure I want to stick with the 24" as she fits into it perfectly (when the seat is lowest) and I haven't seen any 27.5" models in the stores. But, I may not be looking hard enough. Thanks for the suggestion though.

I've been pushing her towards the Pueblo but she likes the color of the Schwinn Byway better. I'm hoping that when I take her to Dick's and she sees the bike, she'll end up liking it.

Nishiki was a quality brand back in the 80s,
now its just a sticker on a chinese bike

check the components
look for a sale
avoid any faux suspension

bikes direct has nice bikes across the spectrum
 this one in a 16 inch frame ladies might do the trick
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/swift-flatbar-hybrid-21.htm

They're all junk but it provides an opportunity to learn teach her some basic mechanical skills.

Put it in the workstand and have her help you go through it. Odds are the monkey that assembled it isn't any handier than your average eight year old.

Very good advice. I just purchased a bike stand from Aldi for $30 so that'll be perfect to go through things with her.

She is dead set on getting the bike from Toys R Us (because it's pink) so I'm going to pick that up this weekend.

Also going to keep an eye on Craigslist for a used Trek or Hot Rock because they occasionally pop up cheap. There's currently one up for $75 which isn't a bad price. A few weeks ago someone listed a 24" Girl's Trek in great condition for $35 but it sold immediately.

ETA: The only reason I'd consider getting a second bike is so she could have one at my place and one by her mom's. I bought a used 24" Schwinn Ranger recently and the damn hub stripped out shortly thereafter. So it's either wait for a cheap, used 24" 21 speed to use for parts or dump the one I have and buy a cheaper used Trek. We'll see how it plays out with what appears on Craigslist.