BEFORE you buy the trainer, find out where you are going to fly, and what's involved with getting training. I cringe every time I see well-meaning parents at the hobby shop all excited about surprising their kid with a cool airplane. They don't know that that $150 airplane can be a pile of toothpicks after a 10 second flight. Sixteen y.o.s can learn fast, but they still need an instructor, probably need to belong to a club. Instruction may only be offered at a certain time, or it's so crowded you only get one or two training flights a session.

Once you've established that there's a local flying field and willing instructors, it might make sense to take their advice. They are volunteers, and making them more comfortable will work best in the long run. Also, they may have a trainer you use for the first few flights to get a taste of what you're getting into.

If they give you a choice, I'm a big fan of the durable type trainer. My favorite is the U.S. Aircore, but the SPAD Debonair, the SPADet, and Airmadillo trainer would work as well. Airplanes crash, and $100 for a new plane is probably real money for a 16 y.o (and me too).