A friend of mine said that the last pair of rotors he bought needed to be resurfaced because they had uneven braking surfaces right out of the box.

Never having installed new rotors, I'm wondering if he just got a bad set, or is this a common thing and I should have my new ones resurfaced before installing ?

Some old timers that work on Detroit Iron turn new rotors, but it's a BAD habit, born of ignorance. You want to take 10-20% of the life right off the top? Prep the hubs properly, getting them really clean so the rotor seats flat, use a torque wrench and the proper torque pattern, and you will be fine nearly 100% of the time. The Cap'n

If it makes you feel better you could scotch pad them first then use copious amounts of brake clean while you follow the Capt'ns instructions....

and get new pads (Porterfield R4S)
rebuild calipers with new seals and a scrubbing. new brake fluid and you will be stopping very nicely.