Recent Laptop Purchases Question

The last two laptops I've purchased were super low end on price (Lenovo and HP). Both machines did the bare minimum: minimum internet surfing and Microsoft Office programs. This is all I need in a machine - nothing fancy.

Both machines lasted a good 2 years before they became unusable, in my non tech opinion. Became super slow to open programs and eventually refused to open programs (would constantly get the "Program Not Responding" prompt).

What do I need to do to prevent this? I feel these machines should perform for longer than just a couple years. Is it a "you get what you pay for" kinda deal?