Just from my recent experience, I did a Geekbench performance test on the MBA 2013 (2014 are basically the same, slight higher clocked CPU) and it scored 768 in single core and 1490 in dual core with MacOS Ventura 13.7. This model also only has 4GB of RAM but Ventura runs just fine, it is no issue to use it for internet surfing or word processing.
8GB is of course better, and this will give you even the possibility to run Sonoma or Sequoia on these MBAs.
Please keep in mind, the PCIe on the 2013/2014 models uses 2 lanes vs 4 lanes in the 2015/2017 models, so SSD read write is basically doubled for the 2015/2017 models too.
All 2013-2017 models can also upgrade their SSDs (same 12+16 pin either adapter or native interface SSDs). And if the battery dies, just get a new one on amazon (tools are usually included to open the case, there is nothing glued in, so easy to swap).
What not many have on the radar, the 2013-2014 MBAs only come with Thunderbolt, exernal screen maximum resolution is 2560x1600, whereas all 2015-2017 MBAs have Thunderbolt 2 that supports 4K UHD 3840x2160 Pixels external screen resolution.
RAM is of course a bit of an issue, best to get a 2015 with 8GB RAM for more headroom, and since the SSD speed is double than on a 2013/2014 model, that also is better for e.g. swap file use.
