Heh heh - the M96 has alot of character, that's for sure - and I disagree that its poorly made - it's actually a really nicely made, tig-welded SS rifle. And it is very cool for someone who can tinker with it (I've set it up Bren style just for kicks, very cool) - it handles & shoots really well. I like mine & am constantly working on keeping it shooting & trying to get/make spare parts.
But I can't recommend it to anyone for all the reasons listed in this post - nobody wants a $2K boat anchor.....if it was still a running platform, I'd recommend it in a heartbeat though.