Sure it's important to get a safe car, but I think maintenance and your driving style influence safety 100 times more than this or that airbag style or crash ratings.
If I were a college student with $10K (wow - I rode a bike until I was 22
) I'd be looking at a Miata or MR2 or Jetta, or maybe a 3-series BMW. Like '84porsche, there's no way I'd be looking at new cars in that range.