Depends on what you mean by "low tier" and how much heavy use you intend to put it thru. I think this is a "false dilemma", and here's why:
You Could pickup an entry-level S&W M&P-15 rifle for about the same price as a "shooter" USGI M1 Carbine, and _if_ you are that price limited then you probably also are not also going to buy 5K rounds of ammo and attend a bunch of Carbine classes. Searching around on these forums reveals that the S&W is at-least halfway decent (subject to much value-judgement) (M&P-15-Sport-Review
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=83136) so It sounds like that is one good route to go, no reason to have the "false dilemma" of a "low-tier AR".
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And now that I've stepped on that landmine... The Brand bashing and
"why buy a Honda when you can save up your money and buy a Lamborghini" posts should follow soon. My apologies in advance.