Nothing wrong with an SAR1. My dad got his for 250
My best grouping AKs have been SLR95's and 16" Saiga 308's. In terms of pure semi auto utility, I feel the 16" Saiga 308 is the best AK in America.
I had a guy throw down the gauntlet one day when I was shooting my CUR-2. That particular 100 yd. group went into 2". However it seemed to me the original milled bulgarians were more repeatable in their group size. I paid $480 for mine in 1998.
I was at a range and a fellow had a brand new bushmaster cmp match rifle. I had my SLR95. He asked if we could switch for awhile. After 15 minutes he was glad to get his Bushmaster .
The 16" Saiga 308 is the most accurate AK I have tried. The SLR-95 generally offers more repeatable accuracy than most 7.62X39 AK's. My experience was groups closer to 2" than 3"@100yds, and that every day. with wolf ammo. this circa 2000.
In a 16" Saiga 308 you have a chromed bore, chrome piston, heavy barrel, reinforced receiver. And it is lighter than AR10 carbines, and slimmer too. I would have a hard time coughing up $1000 for a saiga 308 because I am used to buying them for less and converting. I would have no problem giving $1000 for an SLR 95 because their look, solid feel, and smooth operation is not replaceable once you have experience with one.