After 20+ years doing electrical and electronics work in Cal Labs, Avionics, and telecomms, I've done a little soldering. And there was no choice since we had to follow MIL-SPEC regulations for grounding, bonding, shielding and termination procedures. In a stretch test of a crimped vs. soldered wire butt connection the solder joint wins every time.
I know crimp connectors and procedures have improved, but as you say, to do it right you need quality specialized crimping tools and connectors, not the Autozone blue, red, and yellow junk and pliers. Too expensive. Soldering is a lot cheaper and is the best bang for the buck for non-critical automotive wiring. Besides, I'm too old to change.