I'm 48 and an old hot rodder, so I've been working on engines and doing everything from oil changes to full engine rebuilds since I was a teen. I use Mobil 1 and Bosch oil filters and change them every 7k miles.
The last time I had an engine issue related to cylinder wear or other internal damage was in 1994. It was a `70 Torino GT with the 351C 4v motor that was burning oil and fouling plugs. Valves were shot. Factory compression ratio was 10.7:1 and the motor had 86k miles on it. It was just plain wore out.
All of my newer vehicles have oil that still looks pretty clean after 7k miles. The old V8s from the 60's and 70's had oil that was dirty and nearly black after just 3k miles.
Modern V8s are so much better than what I learned on in the 80's. I'm amazed that my 1/2-ton 4x4 pickup has 400hp and gets 20mpg on the highway while being faster than most muscle cars from the 60's.