Read the thread with interest. Timely.
I am in my 50s and very recently made the decision to NEVER do OLD again. Its been a relief to finally make this decision.
To be honest I did in my 40s, and it was shite then as well.
A few months ago I put my toe in the water again, and even the OK looking and fairly intelligent ones were just flaky fools really; I can't think of any other way to describe them. And the rest were worse!
In my 40s I wanted to do it to kind of have one last try at a conventional relationship and I met the worst men I ever met in my whole life.
In my 50s I learned my lesson and it was more about meeting someone single, vaguely attractive and cultured and intelligent to share time and fun etc. Think again, there's about 5 of them in the UK 
!
One good thing - I wasn't so sex-driven as when younger at least, so could give up on men more easily. I still had a romantic spirit. But this could simply not be fulfilled with the kind of dull, weird, or unappealing and misogynistic men on the internet. The more appealing and genuine men are usually hitched for sure.
Sometimes there was the odd guy I thought was interesting but he usually lived 100 miles away and I just could be bothered to do all that travelling for a pint and a nice chat. And, looks were important, and most men have lost them by my age. We all lose our charms in the end, so I think the romantic pursuit as I see it is going to be elusive for most people after a certain age. Unless you just want a consort or companionship, which is of limited appeal to me really.
Giving it up has been a relief in many ways. As Pics says, I do feel more like the prize myself and am enjoying my own company more and more.