I've had a few Ria's and one Taurus a few years back. All were ok guns, fit and finish were decent and they all functioned well. After doing some research and reading some of churchmouse's post on 1911's I went with the Ruger sr1911. He really knows his stuff and I value his opinion. The Ruger is leaps and bounds above the others I've had.
The Ruger is a great 1911 for the money. The SR1911 was my first 1911 and I really enjoy shooting it. The fit and finish aren't as good as some, but it looks good, works and is very accurate. Hard to beat for the $600 I paid for mine