For example the good old OcUK favourite, the Mondeo. A Mk2 1.8 Mondeo costs my 18 year old cousin less to insure than a 1.2 Corsa would.
I ended up paying £1,800 in my first year
Don't understand this, anything close to 1.8/2.0 litres shoots my premiums up, regardless of the car.
17, so just at the start of the ladder. Ideally i'm looking at under £1,000 for the car and the insurance as cheap as possible.

It's quite simple, a 1.8 Mondeo (for example) has a far lower statistical chance of being crashed by a 17 year old lad. Corsa's, Saxo's and the like are primarily owned and lusted for by 17-19 year old lads, so the number of crashed in that age range is quite high! Larger cars on the other hand are seldom owned let alone crashed by 17 year olds, so carry a lesser risk statistically.
Obviously you need to balance this out by finding something that isn't at all potent (for its size), relatively dull, and that is (in the eyes of an insurance company) cheap to repair. So no looking at Monaro VXRs.
Don't understand this, anything close to 1.8/2.0 litres shoots my premiums up, regardless of the car.
I was also stumped with insurance do i go out and get my own or would it be beneficial to jump on my parents or have them listed as the owner, and me a driver?
They would not be driving it at all. It'd be fully mine, they'd just be listed to keep the cost down.thepeganator
Depends, will they be driving it more than you?
If you will be the main driver but aren't listed as the main driver it's as good as not having any insurance in the first place, the insurance company can and will declare it void in the event of them finding out in a claim.
And they have their ways.
They would not be driving it at all. It'd be fully mine, they'd just be listed to keep the cost down.
They would not be driving it at all. It'd be fully mine, they'd just be listed to keep the cost down.

illegal
They have their own vehicle which is a lot better than anything i'd be picking up so them driving it won't really be happening. If they owned it legally, and named me as a driver, do they still have to *drive* it? It'd still be their car.