If it made a thirty year run without a freon recharge, great - that was very unusual. And certainly, at some point, it would need one - and you cannot buy R12 anymore, again, due to regulation, not cost.
By the way, how did you dispose of it? If it was still fully charged, and you took it to the dump, you broke a number of laws.
The delivery people took it away when they brought the new one.