My 67 year old aircraft is in a little better cosmetic shape than my 42 year old aircraft, so who says new is better
Some wise words written here - as Tecman says, aircraft are more like boats, I often say like houses, you have to maintain them and then they can conceivably last forever.
In relation to pleasing students, I think aircraft ownership should be their goal, and flying training aircraft a short lived phase. Then they can make the aircraft they fly as nice as they want. It's also better for the aviation community - everybody cares more and does more when they have a stake. It doesn't matter what kind of aircraft it is, dirt simple or fancy, new or old, owning it and taking care of it is better.