They don't make 'em like they used to

I'm a big fan of vintage clothes. I used to do quite a bit of vintage shopping and have some pretty good pieces. The standouts are definitely my brown leather, Donnie Brasco-esque coat and the furry sheepskin. Animal rights activists be damned, dead cows and sheeps are nice and warm. Both of these coats were under $10 and were purchased about nine years ago, both are also still in relatively good condition after many years of significant wear.
Three years ago, I splurged and bought a new leather coat from a well-known leather store, for more than $10. Now, this coat is very beat up. I've worn it a lot in the past three years, it works well in several seasons, which was its purpose. To give you a better description, one of the arms has holes in it, the lining is almost torn to shreds, the leather around one of the buttons has pretty much split (causign the button to disappear beneath the leather), on top of that there is also a fair bit of general wear and tear.
Clearly this means they don't make things like they used to. If my probably 30-year-old coats are still wearale and my 3 year old coat almost needs to be pitched this is a mark of poor, modern craftsmanship.
It's disappointing because not only does it mean I need to get rid of my coat, but also I need to find a new one and I know the new ones suck. I may have to switch to a different fabric. Any suggestions?