While I like Colt, $400 was for the name alone...
I agree with Robert. Look at it this way. You brought a expensive big name brand gun and now you have that out of your system.
Up until about 1 1/2 years ago I had not even touched a AR let alone shoot one. I brought some stripped lowers in 2016 just in case HRH won the election but had no intention of building a gun. A co-worker who said he owned a dozen or so AR's and was always building one convinced me that one of stripped AR lowers needed to be a complete gun so I brought a complete upper and built my lower. The results are satisfactory although it is muzzle heavy. I am still trying to decide how well I like the quad rail that is on it.
Last fall I decided to build a budget gun using PSA complete rifle kit on a Anderson lower. All I say is I love this gun. I spent $45.00 on the lower, $350.00 on the complete PSA rifle kit and splurged another $30.00 for a Magpul ASAP endplate that has a sling swivel on it or all of $425.00. At 25 yards it will put four out of five rounds touching with three of them going in to the same hole.
Winter set in before I could serious 100 yard shooting so I am looking forward to warm Spring weather.
I am planning on getting a scope mount and putting a Leupold scope I have on AR #1. It is tentatively designated as a hunting rifle.
AR #2 is for self-defense and lots of fun shooting. It wears iron sights.
I am working on AR builds #3 and #4 mostly at the same time as I am buying the parts when I catch them on sale. I plan on having all of the major parts brought before the November elections as guns and ammo are going to disappear if the Democrats win the House of Representatives.
AR #3 is what I am calling my One Eyed, One Horned Purple People Eater and AR #4 is going to be a lighter weight build using a pencil barrel, handguard and buttstock for my wife. With the exception of the BCG they are both total parts builds.
Then I need another budget AR (#5) as one of the daughters has claimed AR #2 as hers.
Who knows what my boys will decide to claim.
A Red Dot sight is on the future for at least one of them. Maybe Sparc. My wife has decided she likes a laser on her pistol so maybe a laser on the AR (already happen to have one on order).
So give your AR a chance. I know they are not for everyone but they sure are addictive (and I have so little money)