I had a Hi Point 9mm carbine, it's definitely a fugly gun. For the money, they're a decent value, but the one I had was also prone to failure to feed issues. I also didn't like having just 10 round magazines. At the time, there wasn't many accessories available for it.
There are better value 9mm carbines out there now, like the Ruger take-down PCC.
Overall, Hi Point firearms seem like an okay deal, but for me, I'm not going to trust a Hi-Point to perform in a life or death situation. From my limited experience, they're fine for plinking or for practice only.