Vinyl can last for a long, long time and still sound great given proper care. My experience matches that of Jependleton and Rshak. I have records that are 20 and more years old, have been played dozens of times, and that still have minimal surface noise and full frequency response for playback. I've also purchased many used records that look well used based on the condition of their record jackets but which also play beautifully. As pointed out, the key to this longevity is cleaning the record well, storing it well (including keeping it in its sleeve and storing it so dust does not enter), not playing it when dirty or dusty, and not playing it on an improperly set-up turntable.
None of this applies to records manufactured from inferior or recycled vinyl. You can't do anything about getting a record made from inferior vinyl, and neither can you do anything to protect such a record from developing noise quickly.
One other factor in your experience of your LPs over time is your turntable/tonearm/cartridge combination. Some turntable combinations simply are much more effective in capturing and replaying the music that is on your records, and doing so with a more silent background.
And a final factor is going to be your listening priorities. For me, a few ticks here and there are simply part of the LP medium and I'm willing to listen through that - to tune it out - and to focus on the musical values that vinyl delivers that are more important to me.
