Hello guys, I've recently set my mind to buying an motorized electric bicycle, and after a bit of searching I've narrowed down my options to these three. Which one would be the best option? These two are used from my local Craigslist and I can probably haggle them for a lower price.
Tres-Terra Europa 36 Volt electric bike
Torker t400e electric bike
This one is brand-new from eBay, but it is more expensive.
Wildfire Electric Bicycle
The #1 expense for a good electric is the battery, and they aren't cheap, but you will thank yourself for buying one lithium battery rather than wasting money on a lead acid pack, and THEN buying a lithium, but hey, if you happen to have a few SLA's laying around while you're saving up the money/waiting for the batteries in the mail, by all means hook them up! Just don't go the 3 car batteries in a kiddie trailer like I did the first time or you will be hauling 100+ lbs in the trailer!
There are some pretty simple low cost alternatives like the friction drive, better suited to dryer climates, but will still do the wet, and will get you on the road for the price of a typical E-Bike battery alone.
Do some looking over on endless sphere, or check the youtube video here:
YouTube - Kepler_Drive_on_New_Inventers.wmv
I have bought some kits from this guy, and I am very impressed with his product! Only adds 10 - 15lbs total for everything including batteries for the kit, and as long as you stick closely with the recommended parts list, you shouldn't have any trouble putting it on a bike and getting the performance of an ultra light electric assist, which will run circles around any of the bikes you are considering and for little more than about $700 - $800 including everything you need.
Got to be handy with a soldering iron for now, as the throttle interface boards are still under development, but there a few of us at ES that can walk you through building your own with cheap parts from your local RC hobby shop.

