Drum brakes have longer stopping distances. Its has been proven over and over and over again.
My daughter drives a 1999 Saturn SL1 and it’s been very reliable. We’ve had the car for two years. Best $3000 I’ve ever spent.
I’ve had a 99 SC2 since November, 2000. The single biggest maintenance cost on that car has been replacing the clutch a couple years ago (around 100K miles). Considering that the clutch, like brakes, hoses, tires, etc are wear items, I certainly can’t complain.
Cars generally don’t die. They are killed by owners who fail to perform preventative maintenance.
Why 4-wheel disks.
My guess is because they are much easier to inspect and work on. The OP said he did his own maintenance. But I agree it’s a little strange preference, given that rear drum brakes (like timing belts) require service so rarely. But hey, it’s his car.
Front brakes do most of the work of stopping; around 75% to 85%. Because of this, drum brakes in the back are entirely adequate. Rear disk brakes are ok but are a marketing decision mostly rather than an engineering decision.
My own daughter did lots of research on what she wanted for a first car and is extremely happy with her Honda Civic. It’s about 3 years old so it has lots of safety features. My husband and I have had great success with Toyota Camrys and recommend those. We’ve gone for reliability, Good luck. Let us knw what you wind up with.
How about a W124 series Merc?Comes within your budget,very economical 4 cylinder engines,and built to withstand severe impacts?Not sure about insurance costs in the States,but as a 20 year old student in Ireland(way back!)the cost was comparable to smaller cars.I paid ?700 .My mobile friends with 1400cc cars paid ?900 or so.Go figure!And they don’t rust like modern Mercedes and can be maintained without massive costs!Get a good 1995 model E230/E200 and you’re set.Good luck!
When we sent our daughter to college, we opted for a big heavy four door car that would stand up to an accident. We choose a five year old Buick Park Ave. We were very happy that we did, as she was hit in the drivers door and came out of the accident with no injuries to herself or passangers. As a bonus, the Buick got over 28 miles per gallon on a trip and around 18 to 20 in town. We replaced the P.A. with a Cad, that performed almost as well as the Buick, but cost more in repairs and gas.
Steve
How about a W124 series Merc?Comes within your budget,very economical 4 cylinder engines…
Unfortunately, the 4 cylinder W124s never made it to the U.S., your choices are a 5 or 6 cylinder diesel, or a 6 or 8 cylinder gas engine (all with auto transmissions). They are reasonably affordable these days, but U.S. repair costs are higher than average. They are very safe, I’ve considered a W124 for my daughter when she gets her license (of course, she wants an SL instead).
ABS is more important than 4 wheel discs.
An old Volvo station wagon … preferable stick shift. They last forever and can take abuse! She can haul not only her things, but other’s as well.
Only thing, Volvos are not good in snow, so that should be a consideration if she’s going somewhere snowy and hilly. (I went to Penn State, I know … but I had a 71 Gremlin, what do I know?)