Had a nice M1A Scout Squad , bought "previously owned, but was unfired / new. Looked for a used one for a long time..(years) found this on a local gun forum, old guy bought it, passed before he ever shot it. His young neighbor bought his collection, & resold them.Said he was going to keep the M1A for himself, but changed his mind. (don't think he was much of a shooter) Anyway, my good fortune. M1A became my favorite rifle to shoot, a soft-shooter in an accurate caliber.
Used it X 10 yrs. then decided to try an AR-10.. after getting the AR dialed in, enjoyed shooting it more. Love the ease of modifying an AR,. compared to the M1a , Quickly learned doing anything to the rifle entailed a lot of work and / or a hefty cost. The Ar was more accurate , on top of that..at least with me tripping the trigger.
I encourage everyone to get their "bucket list" firearms, it's very satisfying, to get something you've wanted for years.
I have no regrets with any of my purchases, but I did sell my M1, after I realized I hadn't shot it since I got the AR-10...
Sold it for more than I paid for it..that was nice too.