Stephen,
I have the CZ Varmint .17 and love it. It is very accurate and a blast to shoot. Most of my friends also have .17s and the only complaint I ever hear is the ammo can be a little pricey and occasionally hard to find.
This has been my closeup varmint rifle for almost a year and I have made kills on groundhogs out to 212 yds. There are a lot of people who can outshoot me and have made much longer shots. So far, I've taken everything from chipmunks to a 21lb Gobbler and am still amazed at how much fun this little round is.
I think you should go for it!
Take care,
CC