My thinking is that a 16 year old is going to do Really Stupid Car Stuff in any auto. You know, like driving it across town with the oil light on (heh... err... woops.) ...

Having been a 16 year old not all that long ago, I think most (not all, but most) of the borderline dangerous situations I got into with my Legacy were more due to inexperience than sheer stupidity, and as svxeno says, the SVX is a safe car. Most of the "oh crap oh crap oh crap!" times I recall were from not knowing how to drive in the winter in wisconsin ... slamming on the brakes and spinning around and such.

Good luck!