Strangely I don't think $1600 is bad, but I'd rather pay around $900-1200 and buy 1000+ rounds to put through the thing to make sure I can use it effectively.
Seriously - let's talk at the meet. I don't need all the bells and whistles and I've got tons of patience and not a ton else to do. I want an accurate rifle that's easy to point and shoot. As mentioned I've had AK's and I know many love them, but I thought they were crap. I don't know enough about ammo to care about shooting specialty stuff.