“Modern” cars that are easy to work on?

So I’ve heard that cars are harder to work on “nowadays” because the dealership wants to charge you for every little thing.  I don’t know how true that is, but in my 20’s I had a shitty little saturn sedan and I used to love working on it. 

I’m on the market for a used car for the first time in like 15 years, and I’d love something similar: another compact, reliable but affordable car that is relatively easy to work on. Preferably 2019 or a little earlier. It’s more of a “going upstate for the weekend” car than a daily commuter, so something that can handle 6-12 hour roadtrips every now and again. Ideally I don’t want to pay more than $15k, but there’s some wiggle room for the right vehicle.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!!