I dunno. I don't remember people buying new appliances when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s. Granted, not something a kid would notice, but my kitchen and my friend's kitchens were unchanging. If this is merely survivorship bias, we lucked out on every major appliance in the house.

Over 50 years mom only bought 1 of everything except the microwave, which still works, and the washer, which still works. It was a big deal getting a new appliance!

Also, when I became an adult and had to buy my own shit, the used appliance market wasn't flooded, and certainly not with good stuff. In the past 2 years, my wife and I got a new washer and the nicest fridge I've ever had, $200 each. Hell, I found our nice glass-top stove on the side of the road, barely used, fully functional!

You're right though, people just throw stuff instead of fixing it. Buddy of mine had a side gig buying and picking up free washers and dryers, made about $600/wk. fixing them in the evening. Didn't even have to keep lots of parts around as there are only 2 different sorts across all domestic units. If I had a garage, I'd be all over this.