Why did so many manufacturers produce the same engine for 40+ years and most still offer them on their racing websites? Does that not count as reliable? 350's, 351's, 454's, 460's, 318's etc were all produced for a very long producing run. Hell, some of Ford's motors even out-lived their replacements. You don't see that now either...it's a different motor every few years.
1) Ford & Chevrolet crate engines are about the only exception, but that's only
one part of the car. Take into account everything else; interior, wiring, & so forth.
2) It's a different motor because technology has found ways to make the motor better, more efficient, more reliable. That's not saying the old motors aren't, but a regular motor's production lifetime usually allows for a significant improvement for a new one.
The point is I don't believe new stuff lasts as long or was built with as good of quality as things before my time. Simply because I work with this stuff daily, I've come to this conclusion. This is sort of the reason why I prefer the older stuff, besides the obviously styling differences that I've grown to love. I will agree that even though technology wasn't quite as advanced, sometimes keeping things simple is better. I will also accept that not everything produced back then was great, but there was definitely some big highlights that a lot of you are not giving credit to.
Whether you believe it or not, the simple fact is that in general, the average automobile built in the last 10 years compared to the average automobile built in the 60's/70's will outlast it when the variables between both are equal.
Proper maintenance, maintenance costs, & whatever else is irrelevant. Both cars from a new stand point with the same upkeep being done, the new car will live longer without issues because it is designed to.
It's pretty well agreed on in the truck community that the older trucks were way stronger than more stuff on the road today. Way more beefier. I push on the body panels of new trucks and they shake and dent easily. Can't say the same about a '70s truck. Takes a very hard hit from a baseball bat to leave a dent.
I haven't read the rest of this thread since last night, but I hope it's not full of ridiculous, over-exaggeration by you. You can push on a body panel & dent it easily? Does the dent actually stay or are you trying to use the fact that body panels will give some way & then comeback when you put weight on them? Because, that's not the same thing as what you're trying to attempt at making a point of.
Secondly, that doesn't really chance Crash's point. Just because they used a lot of steel & heavier materials back then, does not equal to better engineering.