I actually think engines in the 80's and 90's did pretty well if ran correctly, and serviced, better than many of today for me
All New:-
Nissan Sunny GTE 230k miles from new to sell, no engine issues at all,
many a Renault 5 turbos, last one 100k in 2 years not one issue in that car except clutch cables. saw that car 5 years later with 60k on the clock
Owner still said it drove like new
Peugeot 205 1.8D Van went like a rocket, up to 70 MPG 120k Miles before selling it.
Even my Triumph 2.5 PI when I was 17 I did in it 50k miles before getting rid of it and that was an old car when I got it, and that was abused.
The List is endless tbh MK3 Cortina's, Renault 21's D and Petrol all did high milage no issues with engines or a lot else for that matter.
List is endless but one thing in common, all very high milage was done over a short period of time long distant journeys, I was driving at peak 75k miles a year
Cars recent:-
New S3 new engine after 10k
New AMG GLA new gearbox required after 3 months
New RX8 New engine rebuild required after 50k miles
Have had a coupe of Vito vans, 120D and Sport V6 3.0 (still have this) 120D got to 130k no issues still got it but sorted as it is a pile of rust, V6 Vito 9yr old now is in excellent condition pretty much with 110k no engine issues, Glow plugs a problem not that it needs all of them, but mechanically engine and gearbox it is spot on, and this is a van that is serially fast as remapped, even with a ton in it gets over 30 to a gallon, often see 35 mpg