How old is too old?

Hunny. He wants you for sex. Period! Do you really want to be used for sex? Guys don't go online to get wives. They go online to get sex. Please please listen and believe me. You might be a very beautiful girl and be very smart and bright. But for a 28 year old, you have nothing to offer but your body. He is an old pervert and just wants you for sex. I promise you.

You should think about what you want in a relationship, before you decide who it should be with. If someone is too far out of your age bracket, you might not be able to enjoy parts of life with them. They might reach an older age sooner than you, and be less physically active, or their cultural upbringing might cause a rift between your compatibility (say, someone grew up with Disco, and you like only Rap). Generally the "cap" for society is ten years. More than that and people don't really understand why the two are together. Unless money is involved.

If you just enjoy someone's company though, it wouldn't hurt to date them for fun. Since you are under 18, however, I suggest you wait a year before doing anything serious. Not only to protect yourself, but as to not get any guy you date in trouble :)

2 years difference if you are a minor in my state. Once you turn 18, I would say keep in within four years older.

Honestly, it all depends on the individuals. To me, age is just a number, but the number does have some meaning. But you need to think about things first. Before you start a relationship with ANYONE, you need to get to know them first. You should be good friends with them, and know who they are, and what they are really about. Just because a guy says something, doesn't make it true. Which is why you really need to get to know him. How well do you know this guy? Where did you meet him? If it's someone from the internet, that should be a GUARANTEED NO WAY JOSE. If it's someone you work with, then talk to other people that you work with and see what they think. Talk to other people who are older that know him what they think.

If he's just looking for sex, then it's definitely wrong for a much older guy, because he's living out his old perverted man fantasies. But if you two have known each other for a while and you two really care for each other, and he's not interested in sex, then that brings up another thing. You're still in high school, you're about to graduate. First off, you have to decide where you go to college, what you want to major in, what you want to do with the rest of your life. If this guy is much older, then chances are, he's already made those decisions. He knows what he wants, where he's going, etc. And that brings up a major issue for you. You have to decide on whether you want to go to college, or follow this guy around. And this really screws things up. You shouldn't base your life on someone that you're not married to.

Also, everyone changes so much during their college years. You really find out who you are, what you like, where you're going, etc. People that go into college develop into completely different people. I wouldn't rush into dating an older guy. Sure he might seem great and stuff, but you know what, you have a lot of other stuff to look forward to. But that's just my 2 cents.

Assume for one second that there are no pre conceived rules or ideas on the acceptable age difference for 17 year olds. What age difference would /you/ feel comfortable with?

Depends on the guy. If he's a mature (mentally and emotionally, not just physically), genuine guy that you enjoy spending time with, then it's fine. Ask some other people what they think about him, and make sure he's not in it just for sex. That last one's crucial. Other than that, there isn't an official rule or anything. You might get made fun of, but I know a few people who are married and differ in age by 10 or 12 years.

I always heard the general social rule was Double age - 7. So at 17, socially people would frown on anyone above 27. But at 18 it is 29. If you really want, wait the year and then there won't be a problem.

I would be very cautious with people over the internet, as you know already that they might not even be who they say they are. A 28 year old with a 17 year old is a big age gap in my opinion. Is there no nice guys in your area?

I would say within 5 years of your own age until your older then 40.