I know exactly where you're coming from. I own old Marshall and Fender amps. The only reason I have them now is because I bought them so many years ago when I was a kid and you could still find them at reasonable prices. Sure I had to work, scrimp, and save, but that was part of it. A kid right out of highschool can't do that anymore. And that's regrettable.
Most high school kids these days are stupid as fuck. It's not the market's fault they can't get their shit together enough to buy a guitar.