I'll just put in my tuppenceworth
when my brats passed their test I rang up an insurance company and asked what was the best/cheapest car to buy and they said, under 1000cc and british is the cheapest to insure.so I got a fiesta
The other thing about taking lessons, don't be afraid to sit in your parents car pretending to drive, (with the engine switched off of course)
And get someone to tell you left turn, traffic lights etc it is good practice
making the engine noise is optional