I love my Olympic Arms AR, some people like to hate on them, but I have never had any problems with it. I think that Bushmaster is over rated (or used to be) and over priced. There are lots of good brands out there: Rock River, Sabre Defense, Smith & Wesson, and Armalite all make solid rifles. If you want a side folding stock check out the Sig 556, it also has a gas piston operation that some folks prefer. DPMS makes pretty good .308 and other caliber rifles as do most other manufacturers. Armalite also makes rifles in .308. The makers I listed are all fairly large companies. Like any other highly customizable gun, there are lots of smaller custom makers and all sorts of calibers you can have a rifle made in if you have the cash. 

I'm not sure what you mean.
Oly Arms, DPMS tend to have the rep for being on the lower end.
Armalite, Bushmaster, S&W in the Middle (and they have models in the higher end)
Stag, Rock River, Saber Defence, LWRC at the High end...
And other makers up in the Custom level such as Wilson Combat for example.

But check this out.  I've seen Rock Rivers jam like a rock band, and Stags that couldn't group... and I've personally had a DPMS that was a tack driver and never jammed on me unless I drove it hot, dirty, and dry on purpose.
My point being is don't get too caught up on the Name of the gun or the names on all the parts.  I had a guy that spent ten minutes naming all the different makers that made parts for his AR... he chanted it like some gregorian spell.  Obviously he took a lot of pride and practiced his mantra... he didn't know anything else about the gun - such as how to zero it or clean it... but he knew who made it.
 
Instead, get an AR that is in the configuration you want, and learn how to drive it effectively.  Being proficient with your weapon is more important than who made it.  Your target only cares if you hit it or not.

This is what you want:  http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=6642

Surefire Combat Tactics magazine, just published, has great articles about ARs, a comparison with AKs, and an article about "The Chart" linked above.  Do you need 1:7 twist, for example?

I dunno what's available right now, but a good package would be: LMT lower (330), BCM upper (450) plus HG, CH, BCG (170).  That's under $1,000.  then get p-mags.

You could save maybe $70 with a Stag lower.

I've found it's important to use a vendor you trust, especially if you buy a big name brand upper.  That's even more so in the current climate, when your order can become backorder, then N/A.

Also, just buy a BCG from LMT or BCM.  Don't screw around with "what comes with."

You guys really need to look in to Saber Defence.  Not just what is out there on line... but you need to handle one.   Get it in your hand, or if you can - shoot it.
Saber is my top choice for a production gun and I like them better than many full house customs that I've seen.