What cars/compact SUV's are recommended for a teenager?

Okay, for what you have described, you need to buy a Subaru... You cant go wrong with any model, just stay away from the early 2000 models with 2.5L engine; they had some issues. For $15-$20K you can easily pick up a late model Forester or Impreza outback sport, and if you want you could even go with the sport versions of both; the WRX and XT. For your bike, it's not hard to find a used subie with a roof rack installed... You can throw away the rest, with the exception of the Tiguan, but I don't know how many of them you will find for the right price...