What would be a good first car for a teen driver?

I'm 17 and I'm getting my permit next week. I have looked nearby me and found several cars that fit within my price range but I'm unsure which one I should get. They are all $1000 and under. Some of them have cosmetic issues but they don't have anything mechanically wrong listed about them.

I don't need anything fancy, just something to learn in and get used to driving with. The choices are: 2000 Hyundai Elantra with 168k miles, 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis with 170k miles, 2004 Dodge Neon with 198k miles, 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 200k miles, 2001 Nissan Maxima with 184k miles, 2003 Hyundai Sonata with 180k miles, and a 2002 Ford Explorer with 200k miles.

Are any of these good deals or should I keep looking? Any suggestions for a teen first car?

You should go with one of the smaller cars because they're usually better on gas mileage. Out of the smaller cars you listed, I would suggest the Neon because it's an American car.

Probably the Mercury Grand Marquis is very reliable and almost indistructible. But it will be difficult to park, take a lot of gas, get stuck in snow and will not give you much 'fun' or 'image'.
Any might be good, but they are all close to 20 years old and 200,000 miles. Find the one that the previous owner loved and looked after and hire a mechanic to look at the specific car to reassure you.

It doesn't really matter. You're buying at the bottom of the market (nothing wrong with that), so of course they're all going to have high mileage and cosmetic issues. And while some or all of them might meet safety and emissions standards today, none of them are going to come with a warranty attached. You're going to be replacing worn out parts on whatever you buy, because that's just part of owning an old high-mileage vehicle.

One of the things you want to look at is fuel economy, because gas costs a lot. A bigger vehicle with a more powerful engine (like the Mercury or the SUVs) can easily cost twice as much in fuel as a small sedan. The other thing you definitely want to look at is the cost of insurance. Even with an old beater like you're buying, insurance costs are absolutely insane for your age group.

To protect the teen (Humvee).

To protect the innocent victims on the road (ping pong ball on wheels). Something light that causes very little damage.

When you're looking within that price range, any vehicle that is in decent condition is a good buy. Be prepared for some non-essential things to not work such as A/C but as long as the powertrain runs well and the body is solid, it can be a good first car.

I can just about guarantee every one of these vehicles has mechanical issues. Some could be minor, some could be major - but in that price range you are scraping the bottom of the barrel. There are no mechanical problems listed because sellers don't need to list them. When considering ANY used car, it is up to the buyer to determine the condition of the vehicle before buying it. Once you've bought the vehicle you can't return it. Used cars are sold "as is" and you would be responsible for all repairs.

$1000 car are nothing more than trouble. Unreliable buckets filled with repair bills.

I'm afraid most of those cars are going to be more trouble than they are worth. Id suggest a half hour test drive and then if you are 100% positive you want it, spend to let a mechanic listen to it and drive it around the block.

The long test drive will weed out many of the cars.

Id drive at least 5 to get a feel for which is best.

Really, your odds improve with $2000-300 cars.

My $1150 car 37 years ago required probably another $400 in repairs the first 6 months. Then tires. Not really a one time expenditure.

That said, I sold my old 94 Buick last year. It had 89,000 actual miles, a cracked windshield and the AC was broken and required $300-500 to repair. Got $1595 for it and I feel sure that was a solid car. Should last 5+ years easy.

You need to look for lower mile cars. They are out there. Mine took 7 weeks to sell.

My buick didn't have the better 3800 engines. Those are good engines and will last 200k.

A gud quality safe small hatchback

I'm not well versed on hyindai but I can confidently say stay away from high mileage chrysler (dodge and jeep). Mercury (ford) is iffy to me also. I know that some of those cars are built like tanks, but other fords have major issues. Do some research on each, find customer reviews that have the same car at a similar amount of mileage. Any car comes with risks, especially high mileage. Maybe check for carfax? If a good car is taken care of and has had regular maintenance and oil changes, it should last 200k. Take it to a mechanic to check the essentials is always a must. Personally I would spend a little extra for a older toyota or honda. The best deal on your list is the elantra ASSUMING all those cars are at equal mechanical levels. The dealer does not have to list issues.