Obviously you do not want to fork out for repairs every other week and for that money I would opt for Japanese any day, a Nissan Micra, Honda Civic or a Toyota Corolla.
However, slightly less reliable but better build quality (and a little more street cred) I would opt for a VW Polo.
At all costs avoid French (Peugeot, Citroen and renault) and American (Vauxhall and Ford).
Hopefully by "insurance sorted" you mean a benefactor is taking care of this for you or something similar. As for first cars, this all depends on your age. A good choice is something small in size and engine, perhaps even a diesel being cheaper to run. Vauxhalls are generally very reliable and parts are easily available.
I would make sure have got a good quote for insurance before purchasing anything though.
Cheers Triplewhammy.