brake change.

my brakes need to be changed. im not too sure of the current condition of then and im not sure how a much check is or who will do it for free. anyway, i cant afford buy everything id like to for the brakes. i am curious if it makes much of a difference if i change the front or back brakes first. i think i have front wheel drive. what i intend to do when all is said and done is replace the brake pads rotors and calipers all the way around. since i dont know the exact condition, i figure the would be the best idea. i know the best idea is all at once but i cant afford that right now and my anti-lock light wont go off. i figure this is the only way to fix it. my concern is if i change one end before the other how quickly could it get any wear and tear bofor i can get to the other. one last thing is would there be a possibility that im overdoing by doing everything? considering its brakes im doing i figure you can never be too careful but since money is an issue any way to save it would help greatly. thanx in advance.

to get the best bang for your buck(i know you are on a tight budget) you should inspect the brakes at all 4 wheels plus the fluid. measure the pads/rotors. you may be able to get away with just doing the front(the front brakes do most of the work, and yes, you have FWD). but before you said your BRAKE light was on, if that is true chances are you have a leak in the system or all the brakes need replaced. now you say the ABS light is on. are they both on? the BRAKE and ABS warning lights mean to very different things. i don't look at calipers as maitance items, only replace them if they are bad(or if one is bad replace both on that axle) you may however want to replace the guide and lock pins.(i sortta had to, hint: heat those suckers with propane when you remove them). also look into flushing out the brake fuild i bet there is a good chance your brake fuild is 13 years old, i saw a bigger increase in braking by changing the fuild then i did replacing the pads and rotor(which i don't think i would have spent money on if i checked the brakes before i bought the new ones, the pads and rotors still had about 40% life left.) i am willing to check your brakes for free if you drive to chicago...no good? ok measure the pads and rotor thickness, compare to spec, check for fluid leaks, check for uneven wear, check free movement of calipers and parking brake, check brake fuild for level and color(clear is good, dark is not), check brake lines for rust, rubber lines for dry rot.