i've ridden mavic wheels since i started cycling and had mostly trouble free experience for over a 100,000km. first wheels were ma2 with campag hubs on my ss commuter, hub cups wore out after a couple of years. then built a pair of mavic 505 hubs with a719 rims, rims lasted 3-4 years, front wheel re-rimmed with the same a719 and still going on my hack bike. another commuter had a319 on disc hubs, rode for a couple of years before it got stolen.
my "good" wheels were ksyrium sl's which i chose based on low weight (then, 1.5kg), no rider weight limit (so must be strong), decent looks and the use in pro peloton
- twelve years ago. they had finished many long audaxes, two tcr's and were mostly trouble free. mostly, because the freehub skips occasionally, say once in a thousand kms and the bushing creaked twice (easy to sort it out). superb quality bearings, didn't need changing and still ultra-smooth. they are now considered vintage, however still perform well enough, being light, stiff and responsive - out of saddle accelerations feel great!
would i be sad to see them go? a little, from nostalgic pov, however there are many great wheels on the market to choose from, so cyclists/consumers aren't losing much.