Most of the older push feed M70's that I see in use out in the boondocks are subject to some pretty harsh conditions, and they continue to do their job with a minimum of maintenance.
If a rifle is completely dependable, even under extreme conditions, and has the ability to shoot less than MOA accuracy after thousands of rounds I don't know what more you could expect or want.
To me a rifle is a tool to accomplish a job, and I am more interested in how it functions over how it looks sitting in a gun case.
But that's just me, and it is obvious that opinions vary...