I went through this with my teenage son a year ago. I ended up buying him a brand new 2015 Kia Soul. Solid crash and reliability ratings (especially for a Kia which doesn't have the best reputation for reliability). It's a fairly sleek looking car among his age group and it's functional as well with ample storage space when you need it. It's an all around great first car IMO.
I cross shopped the civic, accord, altima, scion xB, and jetta.
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