I am going to throw out the idea that the short trip vehicle is on the path of some catastrophic event as being a holder over from days past,we feel very comfortable passing on this type of info because of a study that XYZ oil company did in 1965 I want to see some new data.
We are today blessed with better oil additive packages,better engine controls (both in engine performance and warm up) we no longer run our cars with manual chokes closed for long periods messing with our oil. Engine materials, tolerences,quality control,design improvements all have changed how long our cars engines last and the influence that our operating parameters have on that lifespan.
Some design errors slip through like BMW’s nikaseal engine blocks and Toyotas oil sludging problems. I am not stuck on what my father or gradfather had to do to just get 20K out of a set of rings.