Are lawnmowers built worse than 20 years ago?

I think the answer is "it depends". In 07 I got a new rider. I went to our local Lowes because a friend work in the garden deptartment there. I looked at a Troy Bilt with a briggs on it. He said I would be sorry. He said Briggs has really lost a lot of quality over the years. So I went one model up and got one with a Kohler engine. It's been a dang goodun too. But like anything, maintainance is key.