[IanMan]

Toyota Echo.

[Darth One]

Give him the hand me down. It’s a rite of passage

[tdott]

$1000 manual beater until he proves himself then something better for college.

[TSM330i]

Get the newest, SAFEST car you can for the money. I wouldn't worry about looks, power or anything. As long as he's mobile and can get from one point to the next, he'll be happy.

I drove a 1981 Chevy Chevette when I was 16. I didn't care one hoot about what it was. I was able to get out there and drive. My buddy used his mom's Dodge Caravan. We LOVED it! We'd take out the second row and sit all the way in the back and stretch out.

[Captain Blood]

2004 Camry. Thousands on the road, and most look like they are just off the showroom floor. Just make sure your 16 year old avoids brick mailboxes (mine couldn't)

[Efthreeoh]

Used Leaf. Cheap, not fast top speed but quick off the line, and limited driving range, and low maintenance. Plus it's a hip green car. His liberal teachers at school will give him better grades.

[Prevost87]

It sounds crazy but a used Miata may be perfect as it can be a great commuter and track car on the weekend. I would recommend learning some form of karate though as other kids can be cruel 🤔

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by Prevost87

It sounds crazy but a used Miata may be perfect as it can be a great commuter and track car on the weekend. I would recommend learning some form of karate though as other kids can be cruel 🤔

Also has the distinct advantage of limiting your exposure to helping your stupid friends move, carrying multiple drunks and having to double date. I loved having a two seater through high school and college.

[stevenvillatoro]

Prius isn't a bad bet. It'd help him to be insensitive to what others think of him.

[Prevost87]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Also has the distinct advantage of limiting your exposure to helping your stupid friends move, carrying multiple drunks and having to double date. I loved having a two seater through high school and college.

Wisdom right here.

[King Rudi]

Sherman tank. Everyone I know destroys their first car. Especially if they have no financial investment in said car.

[Captain Blood]

Originally Posted by Now_Rudi

Sherman tank. Everyone I know destroys their first car. Especially if they have no financial investment in said car.

But what about the people the tank runs into?

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by Real Dodger

But what about the people the tank runs into?

They should watch where they're driving.

[8500RPM]

Couple years ago I bought a used 2013 prius with 30k miles on it for 12k. Best money I ever spent. It now has 70k miles on it and I'd drive it across country tomorrow, never a single problem.

My 1st vehicle was a new leased 2008 F150 V8 FX2. Dad was nice to me but made me pay $200 a month, good lesson for learning about money.

[neliconcept]

I would say GTI if I was his age still, I hated my parents giving me a 1990 dodge caravan, and I put that damn thing into a ditch. second car was a 1988 bmw 535i that I loved to drive and it was safe.

Now at my age and me having kids soon. I would say drop your budget down a little, maybe not spend over 15k, get something relatively new but not new and make sure it's reliable.

I would look into a car that is maybe rwd but has traction control, and not too much power. Or AWD. FWD not so much...

[Dogeeseegod]

If my daughter was needing a car for highschool right now I would buy a used i3. She thinks electric is cool and I would love to tinker with it!

[xQx]

Most here have already said it, but here's my list:

Safe, Reliable
Subaru Legacy or Subaru Impreza
Mazda 3
Toyota Corolla / Aurion

Living vicariously through my child
Toyota 86 / Subaru BRZ
Mazda MX5 / Miata

I'd love to get my son one of the last two when he turns 16, but you have to think about what happens if your kid hits a tree, or gets hit by some prick in a X5 or a Jeep - suddenly having a very small car is a significant disadvantage.

[ben14142001]

Me and my brother split a Jetta TDI when we learned to drive. It was pretty much perfect. Slow, good mileage, safe, extremely reliable. We still own the car 17 years later

[Taskmaster]

Toyota Corolla with a manual. The new ones are nice AND good on gas.

[ShocknAwe]

He will crash it. Keep that in mind. Even if it's minor damage. I'd buy used.

Honda/Toy/Subaru. Max 250hp 170-200 probably better. Make sure it's a manual, it'll keep him from texting so much.

[pgviper]

Originally Posted by stbm5

get a tank. 10yr old used suburban.

Agree with this 100%

[Machinebuilder]

As others say get a Toyota Prius. The have the lowest total cost of ownership and have great safety systems. The key thing is in most states they have the lowest insurance rate for young drivers of any car or suv. Rates are based on accident payouts so that tells you alot right there.