Thread: buying my first ar15, seek for some advice

I have read this thread and still none the wiser. Why would you spend $5k of a rifle? I'd love an Ar-15 for fun but it's a lot of $$.
I had a mini14 many years ago, and it shot really good and didnt jam. Shoul'd have never sold it as I haven't found one that came close since.
What other good .223 semi's are there that shoot well?
I don't want to hit a 20c piece at 200 yards, but don't want jams either, but wont be spending $5k on something that only sees light of day once a week for a few hours.

On a side note, how hard is it to get 3-cat licence these days?