1990 Honda Accord, replace brake pads fix metal on metal?

I have recently taken my car to a mechanic to have the breaks checked because of squeaking sound. I was told that the brakes in the front were really bad and it was "metal on metal". That the pads and brake rotors had to be replaced. The cost to fix it is way more than the car is worth so i decided to purchase another car. However, my brother insists that all i need to do is have the brake pads replaced and the car will be ok and save to drive. He has replaced his own brakes and knows more about cars than I do. But just replacing the brake pads doesn't sound right to me. Is he right? will replacing the break pads be enough? or do the rotors have to be replaced too to make the car safe?

It is hard to tell without seeing your rotors but as a rule mechanics would recommend rotors replacement. If your rotors do not have heavy grooves replace just the pads. This job is not very hard. All you need is metric sockets and some silicone grease. You can easily do it yourself.

Good luck,
Sam

Do your brakes cause shimmy/vibration when you use them? If so, that indicates the rotors need to be machined, or "turned", to make them perfectly flat again and eliminate the vibration. If they are getting too thin to be turned, then they need to be replaced. So, the thickness of them is the key to whether they can be turned and whether they need to be replaced. Do you know whether they've previously been turned. That procedure shaves a little of their surface off and makes them a bit thinner, so disc brake rotors may only be turnable one or two times before they need to be replaced.