I would like an AR too, but there's just not the history behind them that you get with the older rifles. I think the days of history where nation warred against nation for control of territory are largely passed. Maybe not, but ARs won't ever have the historical association of a WWI or WWII, nor will we be able to own the actual rifles, only semi-automatic versions of the real ones.

Garands, Springfields and Mosins are the very ones used by the folks who played a role in history and one can dreams of the stories your rifle could tell you if it could. For ARs, all you get is one somewhat like a "real" one (M-16/M4).

Just perspective from a history nut.