Dolnor: Yep, it is more expensive and time consuming to repair broken found ships. The whole dynamics of the game have changed...it is basically a new game.
TQQdles™
Repairing them is too damn expensive when you can just buy/trade for a new one at the stations/traders, thereby defeating the entire purpose of saving money by simply finding/repairing them!
It was most likely done to accommodate the multiplayer crowd, otherwise; mining would take no time at all for a party of two-six or so, they'll simply become too over-powered too quick, and get bored... It's why I detest MMOs, as the SP gameplay always suffers due to its very mechanics!
Don't get me wrong, pure MMOs are fine for those that seek it, but I really resent it when it infects SP games as NMS could have had a much deeper story/meaty gameplay rather than resource gathering as the main game mechanic...