I also recommend get what your heart is singing for.
I have 3 .308s.
One is my 'hunting' rifle: a 1957 Savage 99 Featherweight in .308 with a 4x ScopeChief scope mounted. Although, to be HONEST, I didn't
need to get it. I just 'wanted' it. I won't be hunting past 250 yards anyway, so there was little the 99 could do in .308 than the 99 I already had in .300 could do ['54 Savage 99eg].
Second was/is a Saiga 16.5" sportster in .308: definitely a 'brush gun', as the iron sights make accuracy over 200 yards [with my eyes] problematic. Man is that FUN to shoot! I would compare that most to a M1A scout rifle, due to the semi-auto, detachable mag, short barrel, sporter-stock configuration. Mine does NOT have a pistol-grip, but wooden stock. I am NOT saying it is 'just as good'. I am not claiming it is 'better'. I am stating that it is as close to a 'modern' MBR as I feel the need for. The Kalashnikov action makes it reliable.
The last one is something to make purists wince, if not get them upset. A Garand in .308. Yep: I
know. Please, no flames. I understand the 'purist' attitude about the .30-06 chambering. I just wanted ammo simplicity, and I am a shooter-not a collector. I don't own ANY .30-06 rifles, so saw no need to add that to the ammo stockpile for one gun only. I had 2 .308s already. ammo simplicity was the goal.
This Garand is a '43 Springfield that was purchased with the .308 insert pressed into the chamber. Off it went to Fulton Armory for a true 7.62x51 chambered Criterion chrome-lined barrel installed. SO, I did NOT ruin a perfectly good Garand. Someone
else did that when it was first converted. I just made it safer.
I will say that the Garand in .308 is a LOT of fun to shoot. I am VERY happy with it, and enjoy it more than the detachable mag Saiga. More than the Savage? Maybe. But I am more accurate with the Savage and have greater ammo selection available to me.
If you want hunting AND sporting, why not a bolt/lever and a semi?
You can't get the M1A for low enough to get a good bolt/lever also, but there are other options to consider.
Evaluate why you want it and go from there.
However, of your heart is set on an M1A, I advocate getting the M1A if you can afford it. Later in life, life bills us in larger and larger amounts and it may be harder to pony up for the M1A, but you may be able to get a decent $600 bolt rifle at that point.