Would it be stupid to lease a car at 17 years old?

Yes, just buy a brand new car instead, you still can pay monthly to pay it off, and you actually own the car.

Paying less per month? When you figure the cost of the initial down payment & then total your monthly payments during the duration of the lease period. It's not less per month over the long term than owning. Your driving a car that you will never own ... at the end of the lease period, you will walk away with your money gone and nothing to show for it.

Leasing companies are out to make money. The buy back on the vehicle is always going to be cost prohibitive. They will structure the deal to take advantage of their investment.

Leasing puts a lot of restrictions (mileage, condition ... etc) on the vehicle. Might be a good idea to ask some "younger" people who have leased before ... what they think of it.

You won't be leasing a car at 17, so no need to worry about it. You won't be able to lease a car until you have a very good credit score and sufficient income to qualify for a lease. That's probably several years down the road for you.

You have to be at least 18 years old to sign a binding legal contract.

I doubt that at 17 years old you've established enough credit for a bank to consider you for a lease even if it was legal at your age.

Better to just buy a cheap car straight up and save up to buy a nicer one.

You won't have enough credit and I don't think you're old enough.

No, it would be impossible.