Recommendations for a vehicle for a 17 year old for under 15K

My 17 year old grandson had his 18 Outback totaled due to hail damage and the insurance company gave him 15K for it. Now he is needing a new car. Since he really was not too fond of the Outback, I thought a Rav4 might be good. He didn't like that idea. My second choice was a Camry and he was warm to that idea for a day or so but quickly moved to wanting an Impala. Knowing nothing about GM products these days, I researched the Impalas and about the time I felt like I had a handle on them he bolted to an Altima. That was enough for me to say that he was on his own with finding something but I would be happy to give my opinion on the condition, etc. of whatever he decides.
I guess my question for anyone spending the time to read this and reply is, what brands/models are reliable and what would be the maximum number of miles that someone would accept. He knows nothing about car upkeep.

 

Minivan…oh wait. He went with Altima already. Oh

 

in all seriousness, I would go with a Corolla or Corolla hatchback

 

Toyota or Honda product is going to be a good choice and a 4cyl one will be most reliable IMO. Nissan is not what it used to be and neither is GM.

 

Lexus IS 250.

 

A Toyota or Honda in cars.
Try to stay away from the 1.5l engine.
And make sure you know the service history. Hondas are bad to burn oil if regular oil changes were neglected. They tend to have the rings stick more than most.

Stay away from Kia.

And do NOT buy an automatic transmission Nissan car.

A Tacoma or manual transmission Nissan in trucks.

If it’s an American truck, do your research. They all had different problems depending on year.

Rams like to eat camshaft and blow the exhaust manifolds.

Ford isn’t bad. They have issues, but seem to be smaller issues.

Chevrolets tend to need a transmission around 150/200k depending on maintenance. The 5.3 can have lifters collapse. But nothing like the Ram that eats cams. (Which is caused by faulty roller lifters)

 

I changed from my 2007 Corolla to a Tacoma only for off-road ability, not quality issues. My Corrolla had one head-gasket issue at 20k and my "excuse to change" was a failure of the accessory-belt tensioner at 250k. If I did not live in AZ I might have kept my Corolla for longer.

 

Used HRV.

 

Anything with a standard transmission. Will keep him off his phone...

 

No, it won’t.
It will just force him to take both hands off the wheel.

You either put the phone away while driving, or you don’t.

BTW, OP.
I’m not directing this at your grandson.
I don’t know him. For all we know he’s a good kid. Maybe he doesn’t use his phone while driving. And if so, it’s hands free.

 

Since he can't keep his eyes off his phone when he is not driving, I am sure that he looks at it all the time.

 

Newer and safer. His brain (and smart choices) won’t be fully formed until 25. By that time he’ll probably get another car by then, so this is a temporary car in a way.

 

Two weeks ago a kid was parked at the end of the block. He took off and was on his phone. Once he looked up near the end of the block, he realized that he was about to hit the parked cars on the other side.
Whipped the steering wheel so hard he slammed into my neighbors brand new 2024 Tacoma. He admitted he was on his phone.

If y’all are financially well(-ish) off, I recommend something with Subaru EyeSight/Toyota TSS that will apply the brakes before impact to reduce, or hopefully avoid, an accident.

 

Also, finding a lease deal on a new EV may be a good path. A 2-3 year lease can be had for like $200/mo. There’s pretty much ZERO maintenance other than tire rotations and topping off windshield washer fluid.

Day-to-day usage and charging is usually a non-issue if he plugs it in at night on a standard 110V/15A circuit. Depending on where you’re located, there may even be free or inexpensive faster charging options.

Cheaper in the long run than upkeep and gas on a $15k used ICE vehicle.

 

If whatever he ends up with doesn't have a head unit that supports Android Auto or Apple CarPlay I would advise adding one to it. Much less tempting to look the phone to see a text or reply when you can tap a button on the radio and have it read the text to you and allow you to speak your reply.

 

Also, a 2-4 year old Nissan Leaf EV with the long range battery low mileage can be had $10-15k. Mileage doesn’t really matter on these other than how worn down the battery is.

 

Totally not trying to be a jerk here, where are you seeing those leases? How much money down? I'd be tempted to get one at that price.

 

Here in Colorado we have extra incentives which bring the smaller battery Leaf down to $29/mo zero down. The larger battery is $99/mo with zero down. Depending on the dealer you may add $695 in BS fees.
An ID4 with long range AWD, I’m seeing $299/mo zero down.

Each state is different, which is why I asked where OP is located.

 

We are in Oklahoma (No EV incentives). I liked the Corolla and Honda ideas and passed those recommendations to him and they went over like lead balloons. I told him that he needed to figure it all out on his own and would stay out of it. I truly appreciate all of the recommendations and hopefully he does not end up doing something totally stupid, but for now, I am finished worrying it.

 

Cool. I'd figure New Yorkistan would have some good deals since our government is all about electric everything. I may look into it.