Personally I am not an AK fan at all for the reasons I like the VZ. Safety, bolt hold open, weight. So for me this was an easy choice to make for a 7.62X39 rifle.
*Bingo.
And don't forget the milled receiver. Arsenal is selling their SAM7SF (7.62x39) with forged and milled receiver for ~$1,400. On their promo they talk about improved accuracy, etc, benefits of the milled receiver. And it weights 0.7 lbs/11 oz more than a stamped AK, so no weight savings there like w/ the VZ 58.
http://www.arsenalinc.com/usa/SAM7SF-RIFLE-RELEASE.htmlOr there's Century's Centurion AK at ~$700.
But IMO, the VZ 2008 is still a far superior value to the Arsenal and most likely superior quality to Centurion (haven't seen one but their VZ 2008s are exceptional so it'll be tough to beat) and the VZ 58/2008 is definitely superior in ergonomics/mechanics of operation.
(I'm leaving Galil's in a separate class as they're 5.56 caliber and can only be made in 7.62 and 5.45 if having a custom build... They're also milled and fine weapons, but Century really botched the ones they made in a big way, custom builds are the best way to go, and parts kits are drying up so cost is $1000+ to custom build and with the 5.56 ammo it's double the cost to feed vs the 5.45).
Ultimately, if I'm spending more than a grand on an AK, I'm going to go w/ a Jim Fuller/Rifle Dynamics AK and will pay the small premium to attend one of his weekend build your own AK classes.
http://rifledynamics.com/collections/ak-builder-class