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There's always the option of a early-90s or late-80s Mercedes turbodiesel if you're concerned about safety, handling, and gas mileage.
I still say that a Miata isn't a bad choice, because Miatas handle incredibly well without having excessive power, and he'll be more likely to be able to get out of a sticky situation rather than actually having an accident. As far as being in an accident, Miatas were always rated pretty well, at least in frontal collisions. A rollover is a different story of course, but one is survivable with a rollbar and/or hardtop. Plus the Miata was rated the *least* likely car to rollover by the Insurance Highway Safety Institute (out of all cars, I think). A very low center of gravity combined with tires that aren't excessively wide makes it do well in that regard.
Has anyone mentioned Subarus? A mid-90s Legacy wagon would do very well as a kid's first car (great handling, available 5-speed in all except the 6-cyl models, relatively simple design, 50/50 F/R AWD system, Volvo-like durability and space). Imprezas are also fun, but are smaller inside. They do make better gas mileage, however. I wouldn't recommend an Outback or Forester since they have a higher center of gravity - also they're ugly in my opinion.
-b.
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