I think the AR has 2 great appeals:
1) Every Tom, Dick, and Gray Wolf can swap out any of the parts, receivers, barrels etc. and trick it out any way he or she wants.
2) You can put a lot of lead down the barrel in a short period of time.
BTW I do not want an AR like I had in the military. I had the first generation M-16 and that thing hated me and all lefties.
What's wrong with looking good? Don't aesthetics matter?