In your opinion but not IMO.
I like the old control layout, winged tuners, one piece bridge, and old CEs more than todays offerings.
Pickups are probably better today but that's about it IMO.
Perfectly legit for both of us to have and express different preferences. I respect your opinion, I just don't agree with it. Here are a few reasons I prefer the more recent models, and they're all due to tone and functionality.
1. The pickups on the newer ones are, indeed, better. That's not a minor thing; pickups are a significant contributor to tone, and I dislike the idea of buying a new guitar and having to buy aftermarket pickups.
2. The two piece bridge sounds more vintage - a definite preference for me. It's certainly reasonable to disagree, but PRS still makes the wrap bridge for the McCarty.
3. The 594 neck is brilliant. It's a great scale length and the carve feels great.
4. The Phase III tuners are lighter and easier to use than my old winged tuners - that's important if strings need to be changed during a session or show. The winged ones look cool, but even though I played PRS' with them for at least a decade and knew how to work them very well, they could be finicky. The Phase IIIs also have less "lash" than the winged ones.
5. The Singlecuts are wonderful guitars, and the first year for them arriving in stores was 2000.
6. The DGT is one of the greatest models PRS has ever made - 2008 was the start. If you haven't tried one, they're pretty darn interesting.
7. The 408 pickups are terrific, another innovation.
8. The Rotary switch looks beautiful, but isn't the most functional in the heat of battle during a session or show. A blade or toggle is faster.
9. I like nitro, mostly for its sound quality. For whatever reason - one can only guess - nitro finished guitars have a different sound from poly finished ones. Again, this is probably my preference for a more vintage tone (I still have my SG Special from 1965 and was a long time Gibson player because they sounded really good to me - I had several before getting into PRS).
I gradually sold off the poly PRS models I previously had and replaced them with nitro versions. I also like the subtler sheen and feel of nitro over the more plastic look, feel, and thickness of poly. A bonus is that the PRS nitro isn't sticky like the stuff that comes on Gibsons. Nitro finishes are easier to repair than poly, too.
The only 'older PRS' preference I have is for the older Artist leather cases. However, the company that made them is out of business. Oh well.