Seat Upholstery "sagging" in new SL500

In the case of 108's et al, they are built to rust. Especially impressive for non flimsy steel.

Not as much as say BMW's from the same era but you still see lots of both around. Ever see a 30 year old Toyota? Outside of the 2000GT (which was crap but looked like a million bucks) not one is worth keeping alive which is why you never see any old ones.

Yes, I see them frequently. Seattle is nice that way. No road salt and very little freezing.

Wrong. Like most of your spurious arguments.

There are lots of old corolla's and corona's rolling around here in various states, from cherry ones owned by old ladies, to rust buckets that look like the wheels are about to come off.

What becomes collectible often has very little to do with "quality". People perceive certain masques/models as collectible and that is the end of the story. Like all those 60's mustangs that people spend a million dollars restoring. They are common as dirt, they weren't particularly well built, yet people collect restore and cherish them.

You want to believe your stuff is superior, fine, we all do.