If you plan on using the device for school, it might be worth your effort to check with the school to see if your program of study will be accommodating, allows for, or otherwise specifies directly what os to use. Some institutions offer free or reduced cost licenses for what os is required. I know that there may be some coursework that can require a specific os for the applications you’ll be required to use. Test monitoring software is the first, and probably most extreme, example that comes to mind.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Laptop/Lenovo

^here’s a good place to look for compatibility and hardware support.

You said your parents believe it to be a poor choice because of the machine age. Do you mind me asking what you purchasing it primarily for?

If hiking and cycling interest you, have you considered mountain biking? Do you live in an area where trying out mtb might be a possibility?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_reckoning