I haven't learned to drive despite trying a few times and now my OAP parent-in-laws are visiting from middle-of-nowhere-USA, and I will need some form of transport to ferry them around. So I need to buy a car and learn to drive it by August. The missus can drive (automatic-gear-box though), so she can help me learn. But apart from these two reasons (learning to drive + parent-in-laws visiting) we don't need a car for our lives.

My plan is buy a car for £2000-3000, learn to drive, show the in-laws around Blighty a bit and then sell it on after 3-4 months.

My questions are:
a) Can I buy a goodish car for £2000-3000? Where should I look? Ebay? Garages? Auto-Trader?
b) What brands/colours are good?
c) How much will insurance be per month for an experienced driver + new driver as a additional (we're both 29)?
d) Will the car value depreciate much over 3-4 months?

I DONT KNOW MUCH ABOUT MOTORS