[kimjune01]

You're right that there's more parts that don't rust on modern vehicles. However, newer vehicles tend to be unibody compared to the older body-on-frame. When it comes to salty corrosion, parts sandwiched together often create places for the saltwater to be trapped, making the problem worse.

The more I look at newer cars, the more I tend to believe that they will last exactly as long as the warranty, then disintegrate into repair hell.

[seb1204]

My theory here is that in the past many things have been over engineered or designed. Now all this fat is being optimized out and the weak spots are showing. But there is still a delay between the engineering change and the weak spots emerging.

[greenthrow]

The nostalgia based belief that "things were better before" is generally not supported by the facts. Cars in the past were much less reliable than they are today. This goes for most consumer products. That doesn't mean there aren't problems today that should be addressed, but the golden times of the past are largely imaginary.

[greenthrow]

Well luckily we don't have to go on vibes and there's data that shows modern cars last longer than older ones, on average.