I'm kind of curious just how good the FZ18's lens it. That's a pretty long zoom range (I know its actually about 5-85) but I can't believe the quality could be all that good.

In any case, one thing that will be missing from P&S is good DOF control. The small sensors ensure that you can't quite make the background completely out of focus as you can with a DSLR. I also have to agree that getting both a P&S and a DSLR is not a bad idea - they're really two different beasts.

If I were you, I would get an ultra compact P&S for a 2-3 hundred dollars. Use it for a few months and try to play with its manual controls. Remember a DSLR does not manage everything for you. I personally like the Canon SD series, but I'm sure the others are good too. Then, in a few months, if you're feeling the limit of a P&S, get an intro DSLR and a few lenses. That way, as aktchi said, you can always have a camera with you while using the fancy one for the times you're actually going out on a photo trip.