17 year old looking to buy first car

Im 17 years old want want to buy my own car. I am in love with the 370z but im not sure it would work with my budget so Im thinking of a civic. I'll probably have 7000-8000$ saved up by the end of the summer. I want a car that I can heavily mod and give personality to. I dont know much about cars at the moment but I want my car to be something I can work on and put love into every time I have the chance. Is the civic a good option? If so, what year/model?