First car

[DubFan]

Have to say the new VW Fox looks terrible and actually the new Fiat 500 looks ok.

What's your budget going to be then, (considering you've got another 2 years to save up, plus the time it takes to pass your test) ?
Also consider saving up the money to pay for your insurance as it's usually cheaper to pay for insurance in one lump sum.
Guessing you might have about £3k by that time or a bit more if you add in birthday money and stuff

You could go for something slightly older but still recent, I'd aim for a 2004/5 Polo 1.2. Enough power, looks decent, should be able to get one around the £3/4000 mark.
Or by that time a Mk4 Golf won't be too expensive, though it'd have to be a non-GTI for insurance.

Or you could just by a cheap runabout for £500-1000 for a low power model to get your first year no-claims then upgrade later.

[MK5 Golf GTI fan 1]

Well a lupo is not a bad idea.
A mini sounds good too
How much do you think a x reg mini cooper would cost? (The last of the old one's)

[Mk1Mad J - 16v]

How much do you think a x reg mini cooper would cost? (The last of the old one's)

A good one will probably set you back about the same as a bad mk4, a bad one will cost you far more in the long run 

How about a fiat uno (or what is it now a punto?) I learnt in my mums and it was a seriously fun car to drive, not overly fast or powerful but so light you could throw it about all over the place- in some ways it was more fun than a gti, and kept up to around 70-80mph 

[MK5 Golf GTI fan 1]

what about this   http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/CARS_popup.jsp?searchform=&modelexact=1&lid=search_used_cars_full&photo=1&state=none&sort=3&hassearched=Y&make=MINI&min_pr=75&source=0&model=COOPER&max_pr=&miles=1500&agerange=3&mileage=&postcode=ch66+4nn&variant=&bodyid=0&trim=&fuelid=0&colour=&transmissionid=0&keywords=&ukcarsearch_full.x=46&ukcarsearch_full.y=10&start=2&distance=41&adcategory=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200732106358552

[MK5 Golf GTI fan 1]

I think the twingo GT would be a cool car to have.
It could be faster than my dad AX GT.

[DubFan]

Lupos are good, and you can even fit adults in the back, you'd probably be able to find a decent one for £2-3k by the time you pass your test. And they come in GTI flavour too.

Also theres the question of whether you just want something to get you from A to B for a year or two till you can afford something better or if you want to get something that you'll keep for years and years.

[Stu.750]

i learned to heel and toe and left foot brake in my first mini 
the brakes needed pumping to work and it didn't tick over.

 Ha Ha me too , i sold it and actually bought a Cooper Classic Sport tahiti with black and silver leather

no such thing as a cheap mini at the moment

[MK5 Golf GTI fan 1]

How much is it to insure a lupo gti?
I quite like them as well as the Golf GTI.

[Uruk Hai]

First car as said, Nissan Micra ! Not exactly the dogs b@llocks but it'll be dirt cheap to run and insure and if you do have one or two first year scrapes it wont be the end of the world. Spend only what you have to in order to get a decent first motor then hold on to the bulk of your money untill you've got a few years no-claim bonus !

[MK5 Golf GTI fan 1]

Well I'am aiming for the 4 thousand squid mark and other suggestions?