Aye, insurance is pretty mean on young drivers.
But it'll be absolutely crippling if you bolt any go-faster bits on it.
And if you don't tell 'em it's been modified then it'll invalidate your insurance, so don't do that.
There's really no way to win, you just need to be patient.
I'd guess most of us started out on low-powered cars. 2CV here, with all of 29bhp...
But you know what? I miss it terribly, had some of the most fun I've ever had in a car. Even overtook something going uphill once, but that was in snow
And I'd put the Panda in the same bracket.
Yes, you need to work it hard to get the most out of it, but that's part of the fun