I'll say that the age of the car has zero to do with it, it's the cleanliness of the petrol you're buying, that has everything to do with it...
Even the best of petrol suppliers, don't filter their fuel to nearly what they should, otherwise, we wouldn't need fuel filters...unless you spit sunflower seeds or tobaccy while you're fueling...or if you're re-fueling in a dust storm...
And FWIW, fuel filters are all pretty close in quality, you can get one at Autozone, or any other car parts store, prolly cheaper than from Merlin.