I don't know if I can say superior, but one of the things I've noticed it that old computers, like old cars, have character and are worth the time and effort you put into them to keep them running.
New computers, like new cars, are in most cases an appliance to get a task done. When they are used up a few years down the road, then they are just discarded and no one cares. (I've never seen anyone that wanted to restore an early '90s 386 computer or a Toyota Corolla from the same era.)
-JM
