Yep, I'm there!  I remember when my folks finally replaced their 1957 Frigidaire Super range with a 1974 Westinghouse-built harvest gold model, my father was quick to point out how flimsy the range looked.  Oddly enough the salesperson agreed with him and I remember him saying "This range is not going to last more than 10 years if you are lucky"...  It did though... LOL

When I was a landlord, I had to replace appliances from time to time and was just horrified by the models available.  I just couldn't help but think they were made to break down.  I was right, alas!!

Would aw.org even exist if design and execution weren't sinking faster than technology is moving forward?

Perhaps it would. Old appliances would still have historical interest. Much like many people are interested in--and even own--really old computers.

But if new appliances were definitely overall much better, one would probably not have the chorus of "give me vintage for my daily driver, or die!"

Hoover vacuums in the big downtown Belks store in Charlotte NC in the early 70s when I was a kid and thinking how cheap they looked compared to the older ones neighbors had, Now they look pretty darn good

I've had that same sort of experience, except my time frame is different. Stuff in the 80s/early 90s didn't seem to have good quality. At least, not to my eyes, which were used (at that time) to 60s quality in appliances. Now, however, 80s/90s stuff looks much better to me than it did back then.

Scary thought: in 2040 I might be mourning the "good old days of 2017 quality." LOL

As for my own views of old vs new...it's mixed... I'm not sure that there is any 100% view with any product.

The one time I do really tend to embrace new products is with computer technology, particularly the Internet. It's been a huge plus overall for me. But, at the same time, I still have some interest and liking for old computers, and I think some things were possibly better once. I hate some of the software bloat with unnecessary/useless features in basic office suite software, for example. And some hardware seemed longer lasting, although it was also far more expensive when new.

With cars, I have not owned anything newer than about mid-1990s. In buying, I find price very compelling--I end up with old, used, but hopefully with some service life left. And also not so old there is collectible value. I have no idea what will happen in the future, but I have to admit I worry about the long term durability of recent cars, given all the features they have. More features=more things to break. Also they seem harder to even maintain, which means higher costs. (Although routine maintenance is less frequent.) If I had the money, I might buy something now as a long term keeper that's old enough to be fairly simple, and yet new enough to have passable mileage and safety features. Say ca. 1990.

I will also comment I really don't find most newer cars very interesting. At best, I find something practical. But some modern cars have styling that is too much for me, and it repels me. (But I bet some said the same thing about fins in the 1950s!)

With audio equipment, I remain locked in the past with the vinyl as my primary source. I am interested--no, very interested--in better than CD digital audio...but the practical reality is LPs are more affordable. Hmmm...a used LP for $1, or a digital download for $20. Which is easier on my budget? I am, surprisingly, getting slightly interested in CD...but that's fueled entirely by dirt cheap CDs. Past costs...I still find old, familiar LPs to be a comfortable format.

With appliances, I guess more often than not I take the "older is probably better" attitude. I admit energy savings are attractive--but energy use and cost to own is probably far greater on appliances that last only a short time.