You'll be happy with a mini-14 -- provided you buy it for the right reasons. The mini is durable, well-made, reliable, easy to strip and clean, fun to shoot, and quite accurate at distances under 100 yards.
The appeal of the mini is easier to understand if you think of it as a tool rather than an implement of war. I have one of the newer minis with the heavy (heavier) barrel, and I'm very pleased with it. It's a great plinker at the range, and is useful for shooting smaller game. Frankly, I'm not a particularly good shot, but I can hit a 12" x 12" target at 100 yards with iron sights all day long with my mini. I know that isn't much of an achievement compared to what other people do with their rifles. The area where I live is hilly woods; there aren't many places around here where I have more than a 75 yard unobstructed view. Heck, with my eyes I can hardly see more that 50 yards

:, so for my circumstances, the mini-14's a good fit.
You will not be happy with the mini-14 if:
-You want a "combat" weapon. Buy an AK instead.
-You want to shoot dime-sized patterns at the range. Buy an AR instead.
-You want to hunt large game. Buy a large bore bolt action rifle instead.
-You want lots of tactical stuff on your rifle.
-You want an inexpensive rifle. In my opinion the mini-14 costs $175 more than it should. Mini-14s are cheaper than ARs, but they're hardly a bargain.
-You want to own lots of high cap mags. Most aftermarket mini-14 mags are junk, and the factory mags are ridiculously expensive.
The greatest mistake you can make with a mini-14 is putting a lot of money into accurizing it (cryo jobs, trigger jobs, etc.). You're better off saving up your money until you can afford an AR/M14/etc.
Let me conclude with a car analogy. The mini-14 is to rifles, what the minivan is to automobiles. It's practical, comfortable, and reliable, but it ain't sexy. The minivan is affordable and will take care of 90% of your automobile needs. If you want a truck, buy a truck; if you want a 'vette, buy a 'vette. But if you buy a minivan hoping it will plow snow and help you pick up chicks - you'll be disappointed.