Are they? I used to be a huge lover of Thinkpads. IMO, they've been going downhill since the T60, I had a T430 and I ended up getting rid of it. I kept my X32 still going though.
While I agree in spirit, honestly my T60 broke much more than my current X230. I replaced the T60's keyboard 4-5 times under warranty, while maybe once or twice for the X230 over a longer period of time. I did use the T60 more though (no-desktop phase). I've no experience with more recent models, since I prefer personal computers (ie no ME crapware).
> Thinkpads are still decent
The ones from 2011 are.
They've been sold to Lenovo, it's just a matter of time
It’s been 17 years, they aren’t IBM quality, but they’re still very sturdy.