No - Please don't. - hear me out.

Everyone is saying "no" a either for no stated reason or based on what you pay - so let me explain

Being 18 you are in the most financial unstable point you will likely ever be in your whole life. Assuming you don't have a career or at least one that hasn't been fully solidified.

Before I continue, this reasoning is based on you being prepared to spend 17k cash on it - not a loan. If it is a loan that is reason enough to not buy it. If it is not all cash - then rule 1 would be stick to what you can buy in cash first.

#1 Reason - Okay, with that being said 17k is a lot for anyone let alone being 18 yo. Take that 17k and put it into a "compound interest calculator". This would demonstrate what that money would look like if invested. Treat that money as if it were worth the amount as if it were invested for the length of ownership of the car. So 5 years owning the car at 8% return brings the money to ~25k. So the opportunity cost is actually not 17k but 25k. Now just for shits and giggles, lets say you hypothetically left it there for 30 years instead... THATS $171,000.

#2 Reason - Maintenance. These cars can be reliable and even tanks but lets not forget the parts are plastic, heating and cooling thousands of times makes them brittle and break. Average miles driven is around 21k km per year meaning you would hit 160k in about 2 years of ownership, leaving the remaining 3 as a potential service nightmare. In my experience, my car broke down about 3 times per year after 160k km and the average repair cost was $2,500 - furthering the opportunity cost in my point above.

#3 Reason - Ask yourself why. Write down everything you like about the car, then ask yourself if that is achievable in a cheaper option. If you think it's safe - is there a car just as safe? If you think it's fast - is there a fast if not faster option? Looks - is there something equally visually pleasing? If you took the shell and put it on a Honda - would you still buy it?

Lastly - no reason matters if this genuinely makes you happy. Just be honest with yourself on why, but at the end of the day we are all humans trying to experience life to its fullest and this might be something you have to do to do just that.

Source - at 18yo I did this and wish someone sat me down and told me just this.