I've been reading a lot on M4Carbine.net lately. Coupled with what I'm reading there and the great advice from Mac and the rest of you here I feel confident that I can source the right stuff to either put together or buy a complete reliable AR.
I just realized too that a number of guys from my local shop (Virginia Arms) are active on that site.
I might swing by the shop and see what kind of deals they have before I order anything online...