I\'m not really a skater...
but I have skaters for best friends since 6th grade.
you can get a good board for 100 (more or less..)..
have you seen those pamphlets with hundreds of skateboards? I can never remember how to get them, (you only get them if you request via mail or something)
Target boards suck. they break.
you need good hard wood, trucks, ball bearings, wheels, etc, etc so that the board won\'t crack or fall apart. (which happens alot if you\'re hardcore).
My personal favorite brands are Maple and World Industries. (wait...they aren\'t the same, are they?? ..?)