Maybe older folks do more research and don't get so emotionally attached to any one particular car that they would ignore current quality and reliability trends?
Actually, older generations are more brand loyal.
I did a good 8 months of solid research using every available resource I could get my hands on before purchasing my CX-5. The Escape was actually on my shortlist for a time due to the features for the price point, and I took a test drive and was actually pretty impressed. Since then, the 2017 Escape has been recalled for unlatching doors while at highway speeds, and the Escape has a long history of prior awful-sounding recalls during its lifecycle. The platform is shared with the Ford Focus, and that along with the Fiesta is very nearly bottom of the barrel in terms of reliability, the only brand saving it from being the worst is FCA. Hell, I even came from a 2010 Focus, and that car is still in my fleet. 60,000 miles in, a lot of things on the car are broken, including the AC, which needs a complete replacement of the entire AC system at $2400 + labor.