Hi Shane,

It's impossible for me to give you anything other than a ballpark figure - and it's a big ballpark. You're probably going to be looking at a four-figure sum, but there are a few things you can do to keep the final price down. 

For a start, forget the Golf. You need to keep to under 1.0 litres, so I'd suggest tracking down a 1992-2002 Nissan Micra. Don't worry, they're actually much nicer to drive than you might think and you'll never have much to worry about on the reliability front. 

After that talk to various insurers and have a word with a good broker. Some companies have specialist young driver policies and some will give you a discount if you pass an advanced driving course - a useful (and enjoyable) idea in and of itself. 

Best of luck!