I want to rant a short while and then ask a question about AM reception.

Years ago (I think) all radio's had superheterodyne circuits which allowed for
great sensitivity and selectivity. I figured that, for all time, all radio's
would be superhet circuitry. Now the modern AM radio's I buy are all crap, esp
car radio's. They can not pull in stations, for nothing.

What modern (new or used) AM radio can I buy that can pull in distant stations?
Is there a way to boast the strength of a common AM radio (by placing a pipe
alongside it...or some such)? Lately, I buy cheap (old transistor) radio's at
yard sales, hoping that some of them will have good AM reception. Very few do
have.