There it is... somebody finally said itI'd save up for an AR if at all possible.
I have THREE AR15's, and I STILL want a Mini-14... In fact that's what I'm giving my son for his 14th birthday in July.
If you "need" a hundred 30 round mags to defend your home from hoards of attacking zombies, get an AR15, NO DOUBT! But if you're happy with the traditional styling and SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER INVESTMENT that a Mini-14 has to offer, GO FOR IT!
Most any Mini-14 CAN BE a very decent shooter with a little reading, some TLC, and no more than $75 in trigger jobs, stock bedding, and a muzzle brake which STILL puts them a couple hundred less than my AR's.
If you like it, GET it.