I apologize (what to buy)?

I’m sure you’re all sick of this question, and I promise I tried to do some searching first. I also checked out the wiki and was surprised it didn’t have a guide like this. If it’s still too obnoxious, ignore me. But …

My wife and I are looking to get our first AR. She (and I agree) that it’s better to ‘buy once …’ so want to get something quality. Most of what I find when searching is for cheap beginner stuff. While I don’t want to spend money for bling or name brands, we’re willing to spend for quality. We’re looking for that sweet spot of value. I’ve heard good things about BCM as possibly being the balance of quality and price, but others saying they’re overpriced.

What would you recommend as a good AR to last for years for someone that is inexperienced but plans to be relatively active moving forward?

Also happy to receive resources to do more reading rather than just a specific AR.