With a budget of $15k you are looking for something that has already quite a few miles. Here are my $0.02.
Don't buy Hyundai or KIA with more than 100k miles on the odometer. Hyundais and KIAs are good vehicles while new, but once they cross 100k miles, they are problematic and the engine may require expensive repairs. Bear in mind that Hyundai / KIA powertrain 10y / 100k miles warranty is NOT transferable, it only covers the first owner. For 2nd and subsequent owners, powertrain warranty expires at 5 y / 60k miles. So even if you buy a Hyundai / KIA with 70 or 80k miles, you will be automatically out of warranty the moment the vehicle changes ownership.
Subarus are solid and very safe cars. But they do require more maintenance than for example Toyota or Honda after they reach 100k miles. They can last a long time if properly maintained.
Anything built by Toyota or Honda is pretty safe bet.
For a teenager driver, buy something that is big, heavy and slow. In accidents, size matters. A Camry will be safer in a car-vs-car accident than a Corolla. A Highlander will fare better than a RAV. Cars are more stable and easier to control than SUVs.
I can definitely tell you what NOT to buy, though. A Jeep, especially a Wrangler. Hard to control and prone to rollover. A Mustang (or any other sport-ish) car - an invitation to speeding. A high mileage German-made car (any brand). A pickup truck - hard to control on slippery roads and prone to rollover.
If you want you child to be safe, buy the most "boring" car you can find.

 

I definitely don’t include all Mustang owners and I like the 5.0 quite a bit, but it doesn’t meet my needs. There have been a number of incidents where the car’s power was too much for the driver’s skills.

Back to my comment about getting trolled in a WRX, those cars are eith trolled or doing the trolling here.

I think the Maverick is worth a look. I can’t believe they brought the name back but a lot of the market segment probably doesn’t know how awful the original Maverick was.

 

If WRX is “too sporty” - I highly recommend the Legacy Sport sedan. It has the NA 4cyl paired to CVT so its not fast but has enough power to safely merge on highways. I personally owned the 2017 one and they are very solid cars. The AWD system is great. You can probably lease one in the $300s easily. I paid about $280 including tax for the one we had.

 

Base WRX without the wing and any mods is really unnoticeable at least where I am. It’s mostly driven by women from what i have noticed. The STIs are a different story lol.

Mustang is not good for a 16yr old - way too easy to get in trouble and will definitely attract wrong attention with racing etc.

 

For what it's worth, the Nissan Ariyas (and some other GM/Kia/Hyundai EVs) lease really well. If you value your time, there are plenty of brokers on the east coast that can get the deal done without the mandatory BS. If you haven't checked out leasehackr - highly recommend it.

 

Mustang drivers are who they are. Watch this clip first.

 

Watch this clip 2nd

 

Watch this clip last

 

Some of what you are saying is exactly why I am considering leasing a new car because I don't want to deal with unknown issues that I will have to pay out of pocket and deal with in general. I also wouldn't consider a Wrangler or Mustang, those are just asking for trouble.

My parents actually had a yellow Maverick back in the day and even though I was really young I thought it was a POS. When the got the first gen Camry it was like luxury even though it wasn't but I had no clue back then.

Based on price and the AWD system I will likely stop at the local Subaru dealer and check some of those out.

 

Pshhhh, it's all good!

 

My neighbor has one. Sure, it doesn't stand out visually, but I hear it coming a block away.

Subaru that fits with what @patgilm said is the target vehicle would by the CrossTrek.

 

We bought our youngest an RX300 when he passed his test. He still has it, it’s still going strong, and it’s been driven across the entire country and back. Two out of three of our kids have had accidents when they were new drivers, expensive ones, and odds are we were lucky it wasn’t all three. So I’d look at, say, an older RX although I do see the attraction in leasing something new with much more up-to-date safety features.

 

I am going to try and test drive some cars tomorrow and one of the cars I’m going to look at that I never considered until this thread was the Maverick. Are there any issues in bad weather (rain or snow) with the back being too light like old pickups or is that a thing of the past with AWD these days?

 

No it's really just a car, FWD based heavy nose and most power goes to the nose

 

A year ago we leased our 16 year old son a Acura Integra. The original plan was for him to inherit our 2016 ES350 but that car started having significant problems that the dealer couldn't sort out. After going through the process, I'll share some thoughts.
1. Leasing was for sure the way to go. They are new drivers. He hits more potholes than the average bear and is still learning things not to do for insuring longevity. If he does have an accident, a bad Carfax isn't going to hurt you.
2. New was also the way to go if one can afford it. They have the most safety and technology equipment. He's also had to jump one friend's older CRV and pick up another who had a RAV4 which refused to move.
3. Since you are leasing, don't resign yourself to just Honda and Toyota products. Anything will be fine for a 3 year lease, and several will be cheaper, possibly safer and with better technology. Think of outliers like the VW Tiguan.
4. These are small CUVs, a CX5 might be better than a Kona at the margins of driving. Kids won't care. They will care, and be safer, with wireless CarPlay and blind spot video cams, both of which the Hyundai/Kia products have while Mazda has the worst infotainment in the industry.
5. Our setup is we lease the car and pay insurance, our son handles the cost of gas. The Acura has free maint for 2 years, so that's not in the mix. He is much happier in a 1.5 Acura which gets mid 30s on regular than the high teens of a Lexus V6.
6. We also got the car when he turned 16, so he could learn on that same vehicle. Otherwise, he would have learned on a Porsche or 6MT, neither being optimal like in your situation. It also helps to get those practice hours and not then shift to something without a backup cam, or with different dimensions.

If they are all equivalent on lease price, ask your child what is their favorite. Let them get something they enjoy. If they don't care, prioritize anything that will make their trips incrementally safer. And good luck!