Depends on how you stored the juice, was it exposed to heat/sunlight or did you store it in your cupboard (cool & dark place)?

You can try the juice, if it is extremely harsh, that might be due to overexposure to heat/sunlight to the nicotine.

What juice? A few months off should be fine - Juice has a 1-2 year shelf life, and usually the labels are set to 1 year... at least most if the time.

But that still depends on what's being mixed in the juice. Creamy stuff tend to go bad faster (1 year max) while fruity stuff tend to last longer. Also (as markypcs had mentioned) how it was stored tends to effect shelf life as well.

The beat way to check it is by trying it. If it feels off (weirdly harsh TH, weird taste etc etc), then bin it.
Very much in agreement with this.

Just have to add that for both the Pico and VTC, it's recommended that you get an external charger... and it's NOT because "it's better for the batteries", either. It's ACTUALLY because the microUSB ports on both the Pico AND the VTC are rather fragile, and break easily under heavy use.

Also, in regards to battery life, why not just carry spare 18650 batteries in a case (like I do... and yes you ABSOLUTELY NEED A CASE). You really don't need a bigger mod for better battery life lol, you just need spare batts (in CASES).

Hence, its probably better for him to choose between the Pico and VTC and spend the rest of his budget on a good tank, spare batteries (+CASE) and quality juice.

Also, for a first timer, for the love of God AVOID DNA200/75 mods like the plague. He's just starting out, and he doesn't need to worry about additional carp like eScribe. Really.