new equipment vs older equipment

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i think the way things are made today is downright pathetic. back in 1998 my parents bought a brand new MTD cub cadet 2135. today that machine is falling apart. the paint fell off of it and now it is a rusty mess. the fenders have severe rust through, the frame is badly rusted as well. the snowblower attachment rotted out really easily as well. for a machine that cost more than 2,000 bucks new, it was a horrible investment. the pto clutch failed costing over 200 bucks to replace. the mufler rusted out and they wanted an insane amount of money for a replacement. my stepfather welded a cheap 10 dollar muffler to the pipe. yeah its kinda loud but the machine truely is NOT worth the investment of a new mufler. i dont know really why the mufflers for these awfull machines are so expensive, replacement muflers for the older machines are cheap. this is all on a machine that has less than 350 hours on it!!!

i hear people say that the garden tractors are made better, but i dont believe it. they are probably made on the same assembly line with the same paint processes and the same stock cheap steel. the also ALL have an insane amount of plastic.

now the older machines, while they are old and often need engine rebuilds are much better. i have a 1971 john deere 112 sqaure fender. i installed a newer shortblock engine a couple of years ago, i found that replacement engine on craigslist for 150 bucks. since i have installed that engine all that tractor has done is work and work hard. it has been an excellent mower. i also run a 37a blower and a 31 tiller off of it. she's 39 years old and still doesnt break a sweat. while the paint doesnt look to good and hood is shot, it still has less rust and problems than that 12 year old tractor my parents own. the fenders are still in good condition. this tractor will probably get restored after i get my cub running.

now my cub cadet 147 is a 1970 and needs an engine overhaul, the condition of the tractor overall is much better than my parents mtd "cub". none of the sheet metal has any rust through and the frame is still very solid. while im going to have to look for a better deck, that is expected on a machine that is 40 years old. the PO was not taking care of the deck either. there was grass stuck to it that had been on it for quite some time. it needs some work but it still is in much better shape than something that is ALLOT newer. some overhaul work and another deck, it will be good for another 20+ years.