As versatile as the .243 is, your choices in firearm are every bit as diverse. My recommendation would be to check out as many rifles in your price range as you can get your hands on, get to know their pros and cons, decide which pros you can't live without and which cons you can't live with, and make your choice from there.

For general use, I'll echo that you'd be better off selecting something with a sporter-weight barrel.

Since neither of my pet .243s remain in production, I can't recommend either unless you're willing to scrounge for a used one. Both have served my uses extremely well.