"I know you feel I shouldn't invest in a new pump as this may not be the issue, but I can't fight city hall (my husband). I'm too nice to challenge the issue with the driller if it turns out he is wrong, however, my husband is not and he won't be pleasant about it. By the way, this driller has been around a long time, his father and mine were good friends, and I remember him and his brothers used to come out to our family farm and help bale hay when we were all teenagers. In other words, I have reasonable faith that he isn't out to rip us off."
Even if this gentleman well driller baled hay with your family, and even rolled in the hayloft with you and your sisters after hours, it does not speak to his ethics NOW. Maybe his kids have big tuition or he gambles online.... pick your poison.
Okay, your pump was 27 years old - pretty amazing. So that was a bit suspect. But it would not have anything to do with brown water. Sounds like he wasn't too interested in a full troubleshoot like the boys here typing for FREE! First suspect for me is a bad bladder in the pressure tank - you get all kind of colored vomit in the water for a long time if so. Hopefully they ruled that out. But if your well makes some air, as mine do, you could still have a "working" tank that puts some nasty stuff into your water. IF it is a pre-pressurized tank and its 27 years old, its history and likely your brown maker.
NEW brown water after 30 years is unusual. Unless the well has silted in and the pump is now your well cleaner. Did they test the depth of the well before setting a new pump? New pipe on the pump?
Have earthquakes here all the time and never lost a well yet. Welcome to the club. That dollar or more you are saving on gasoline and natural gas every day will pay for your pump in no time at all. Pray for more fricking fracking!