Hmmm.
You know, I got a ton of old pieces off of eBay at one point (or is it Ebay? I think it is...) and absolutely adored them. At the time that I got them, they, combined with the Legos I had before, weighed almost as much as I did.
Newer sets can be OK, too, but they aren't really as good. I think the economic situation presses just as hard on Lego as anything else, but Lego doesn't really show it, except for a little downgrading and, of course, making idiotic sets from stupid TV shows etc.