I love mine. Someone above said they don't like the trigger, I haven't noticed anything wrong with mine. I don't expect it to be tuned like a custom 1911 though... I mean, it's a $300 shotgun.
I bought it because it was a Benelli (trust the brand), that was extremely affordable (for a NIB pump), and I actually think it looks very nice. I read somewhere that it uses the same rotating bolt technology that Benelli's autoloaders use. Chrome-Lined barrel to boot. Came with a few chokes as well. I even like the orange front site.
And, I haven't shot many pumps where the forestock wasn't a little rattly. It's not like the thing is going to come off in your hand.
As other stated... you can't get a new stock for it as it's stock/receiver is all one molded piece. But I got lucky and the gun fit me perfectly. It shoulders and points dead on for me.
Reliability and speed are the hallmarks of Benelli shotguns. Any standard 12 Gauge shell, 2 3/4 - inch, 3 - inch, to the most powerfull 3 1/2 - inch magnums will function dependably and reliabily. I used it all season for trap this year, about 75rnds/week for the entire season - not a hiccup.
You can take this gun apart in seconds. You can also put it together in about the same amount of time. An absolute breeze to clean. This was a nice surprise when I broke it down and cleaned it after taking it home.
Before I bought mine, I did the exact same thing your doing - I was all over the net reading about it. I met with a bunch of positive reviews, from both gun rags that you have to take with a grain of salt, and with actual nova owners on boards such as this. There are plenty of people who'll tell you to get an 870 instead, and you can't go wrong there either. But I've always like Benelli, so I had to give this a try. Now, my 870 doesn't get used as much anymore. Not because the nova is "better"... just because it fits me a little better.