The reason many choose a Romanian AK is because of the value. They are some of the lowest priced AKs on the market with out a loss in functionality. Thus if you do your shopping correctly, for the price of a SLR-85 (a US made AK that cost about $500) you can buy a nice looking SAR-1 with 6 magazines, and a couple thousand rounds of ammunition. That's what makes these rifles so cool, you get one of the biggest bangs for the buck.

What about these quality control issues I have been hearing about?

If you do your homework correctly most quality issues can be avoided. For example some Romanian models contain more problems then others, though these rifles are so easy to work on most problems can be fixed with simple tools.