For sure. Everyone wants a bargain and want to believe that they are smarter than the people and companies selling these products and can come out on top. A cat and mouse game where neither side holds any advantage for long.
You pay your money and take your chances.
A cost of doing business and living up north. Brakes aren't the only part of the undercarriage that gets destroyed by the rust. Not only the cost of replacement parts, but the labor and effort to remove the rusty parts.
My dad got rear ended, similar vintage Newport. Huge trunk was crushed practically to the back window. It was less than a mile from his house. He did drive it home. Unfortunately I lost the pictures of the wreck.
In over 50 years of driving and buying the most convenient and lesser priced gasoline I have yet to have ever had any problems with bad fuel. But the day is still young, so perhaps I will later on.
I contend that the reason that it teaches the value of every drop is that water is heavy, over 8 pounds a gallon. A 40 pack of Costco half liters is over 40 pounds which I carried a couple of into the garage earlier. Fun times.