By present "standards" they may be ugly - but they were mostly better constructed and made of more durable materials. I doubt that a present day dishwasher will be around in 50 years.

I tend to lean toward "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy, which holds true for upgrades. Unless there is something specific I want, I would not upgrade just to upgrade.

The older and crankier I get, the more I dislike consumerism... so I don't care what it looks like, if it still does the job it was bought for, I just leave well enough alone.

Ya, that dishwasher looked awesome in 1970, but since then she learned about women's lib... sigh...

I still wash dishes in the sink so I guess it must be me

So my mum was the last person in the UK to change from a twin tub washing machine to an automatic!

I was brought up to believe that if it is not broke don't fix it. Funny how that has vanished from our society along with the idea of making things that last. Now conspicuous consumption of junk that not only fails almost as soon as the warrantee ends and cannot be repaired has become the way to go.

As an oldy but tech savvy I do have to say that most stuff today is not built to last anymore...They are built from cheap materials and have a shelf life of about 5 years....so the fact that most stuff from the 70's is still going strong today is down to the fact that they were built to last and most of the people who use them are comfy with them and the fact that they are reliable and most importantly still work...Just saying...lol

I wish they could make cell phones waterproof, but I guess that would make them more durable.

Actually, no. I did some upgrades in my house, and I try to keep things in good shape. I got a new phone in November,and yes I bitched about it for a couple of months. I got a new laptop because the old one was having some issues. The dishwasher just got a new lower rack because it was rusting out. I will replace the top rack one day. The machine itself is still working. 2ish years ago the AC went out and the water heater was showing signs of trouble, so they were all replaced, and I'm still paying for it. I went with an on demand water heater. The car is 11 years old and I plan to drive it til the kids take my keys away. The fridge, stove, and microwave are original with the house, almost 16 years old. I have stuff that is older than my kids, I possibly still have stuff from when I was a kid. So, mixed bag.

Looks like I am that family member. I wash my dishes by hand. I have my laundry washed, dried and hung on hanger by Rosemary, my laundry lady. I wash all wool, linen,silk by hand. I have aTV. It sits there because I do not watch it. The most high tech thing in my houe is my insulin pump which I wear on my body. It runs my life and I resent it.
Five years ago, after listening to NPR about the natural resources used and wasted by the clothing indulstry, made up my mind not to buy new clothes anymore ( except underwear. I have a designer wardrobe now. It is life in the cheap lane. I love it.

me, especially with computers, until last year my phone was a nokia candy bar and my PC was on XP. In fact I had only just swapped, 2 years ago I was still on Windows 2000, it is my all time fave.

A friend is going through that now with his built-in oven from 1971.

My mother absolutely refuses to use text messaging, and can not comprehend keeping her cell phone with her.

Yeah, It is very important that your tastes not be violated by unsightly, functional equipment. My condolences for your suffering.

I'm remodeling my house and I'm not getting rid of my kitchen sink which is likely from the 50's. Some things are too cool to get rid of for the sake of what some may consider an upgrade.

Drive it until the wheels fall off!

I'm somewhat of a Luddite. I have a flip-Track-phone that costs me $150 every 2 years. I do watch some TV but not a lot. We both have tablets in addition to a decent computers and we keep appliances somewhat up-to-date as the newer ones are much more energy efficient. We heat with wood, had a dishwasher but never used it, and we hang our clothes outside. Somethings we like and somethings we don't. My wife and I aren't much for keeping up with the Jones's but if it's something we personally want we get it.

I am that person with outdated technology. I despise cell phones because they are in my opinion destroying our culture. I own a reasonably techy laptop, but I don't own a TV, I have no microwave, I hand wash my dishes, and I listen to the radio in my home. I don't think I'm a better person for this, but I have learned that you don't develop unhealthy habits to things that you don't have. TV used to be my vice and to be fair I still have shows I'll watch online, but I no longer sit blankly watching whatever happens to be on TV.

If something is still working properly, it seems unnecessary to replace it just because there is something new on the market.

Modern crap seems to break so often that I actually look for older models. id rather a bit more work than have to replace modern appliances every year.

My daughter finally got rid of her 2002 car, for a new car, I can sleep better. I am running windows 7 on my workhorse pc. I got a windows 8 in storage somewhere and my windows 10 laptop I use it as an expensive paperweight.