For me, it depends what I want out of the AR. If you just want a 16” noisemaking carbine, buy a Ruger or a S&W for $450-600, or whatever the vid-flated current price might be and be merry. Spending more for DD, BCM, Larue, etc for this task just gives you internet bragging rights on Arfcom and less money in your wallet. I’ve had a few of these and have had even more on my bench, and can’t pretend they really do anything different for the civilian, and really not even for the warfighter.
If you want something specialized, like a go-fast gun for 3 gun competition, or a long range precision gasser (kinda an oxymoron), then spending $2000-3000 makes sense to me, and in those cases, I generally find that sourcing parts and building (or having someone build for you) is less expensive than buying a boutique semi-bespoke factory offering (JP, GA Precision, Seekins, etc).
I acknowledge that some guys just want a turnkey option, however, and spending a couple hundred extra to avoid buying $100 in tools and a spending few hours fitting and assembling isn’t for everyone. But still, the application dictates the design.