Talking about the lighter element itself, where you can push in the button and it heat the coils and pops out. Instead, we now have "12-volt" outlets all over the place. Some companies (Mopar vehicles) offer a "smokers package" which restores the element, but charges you $30.

I'm not sure if you can just buy a universal lighter button and it would work in any 12V outlet or if something else would need to be done.

Personally, the 12V outlets are mostly useless. My current truck has 6(!) and I don't use any of them. Cell phones are all charged with USB now, which most new cars have. What else did anyone use these things for aside from charging a phone?

Yeah, agreed on the A/C. I could get by without it, but do prefer it. And it makes a car more valuable on resale.

 

And one more disappearing feature: 2-speed transfer cases in 4WD vehicles.

 

This has been a couple of years back, but my dad purchased a brand new 2007 Kia Rio for just under $10,000. The reason it was so cheap is it had no options. Manual Windows, Manual Locks, Manual Transmission, even Manual Steering. It had no A/C and no Radio. Just had a hole where it should have gone. It was wired for the radio, just left out.
When he told me about it, I couldn't believe they sold cars without some of those options now. I don't know if you could now.
He still has the car. It has over 200,000 miles on it now, but still has the original engine, transmission, and clutch. No major issues with it.

 

Yeah, Kia used to hold the title of the cheapest new car available; now I believe it belongs to Nissan. From what I've heard, despite them being cheaply made and very unsafe, they ran pretty well.

 

How many milliamps do the USB ports provide? I've seen a HUGE difference between various chargers and USB ports. I use two of the three 12v ports in my Fusion Energi to charge phones, and the third has a 12v digital gauge always plugged in.

One thing I don't think I will ever want to live without on new cars is the keyless entry/start. It seems so archaic to me now to have to put a key into a door or ignition!!!

One other comment. According to my dad, a modern car is one with "juice" brakes. LOL.

Funny his 1910 Model T obviously has a hand crank to start it, but it's NOT ALWAYS necessary. Occasionally, it's at the correct rotational position and will fire right up when you turn on the switch on the coil box and the plug fires. People are always at first disappointed, then amazed that it didn't require a "crank." I've yet to see a modern car perform such a feat!

 

I like still having at least one door key lock and a keyed ignition switch. Both of these items are mechanical and far less likely to break than all computerized versions. It seems most cars with keyless entry still have at least one door lock, even if it is concealed.

The USB ports in (my truck anyway) seem to work as good as charging the phone with the home charger. Usefully, the truck also has (2) 110v house current plugs.

 

Ah, and I am going to buy a friend's 1978 Celica Liftback GT in yellow later this month. Manual transmission, good old 20R, crank windows, 138K miles and RWD. Extremely rare nowadays even for California but nonetheless a fun car to tool around it for a decade or two. Couple more and I might make enough cars for a different one each day over a two week period.

 

I miss bench seats in cars. And those buttons on the floor to turn your brights off while driving at night.

 

Growing up in the interior of Maine we had house A/C (window unit) as its gets brutally hot there for a few weeks a year. But as far as cars go, none of ours had A/C until I was almost out of high school.

The one thing still today I'd trade everything else for (including A/C) is cruise control. Cruise to me is essential, with a big part of that having to do with avoiding speeding tickets.

 

I like cruise control, too. My motorcycle doesn't have it, I wished it did for those long slogs up the interstate. I also wish when I set the cruise in my truck, the display would read out the "set" cruise speed, like all my previous VW's did.

 

My Fusion has adaptive cruise control. It uses radar to sense the position and speed of the car ahead of me. I set it at 75 and when traffic slows it'll slow down to 20 or so (whatever is required), then speed back up with the flow of traffic.

Observation: It's a pretty high pucker-factor to sit there with your foot off the brake during the first few "panic stops" done solely by the car.

 

Yeah, its kind of a cool feature. Mercedes invented it back in 1998. I don't mind autonomy as long as the option for full control is still there. 99% of the time, I prefer to drive myself, shift gears myself, steer / accelerate / brake myself.

 

no ashtrays. I really hate when people throw their butts out the windows.
I smoke but make a point not to throw my butts on the ground. I bought a portable ashtray that took up a cup holder spot. But I generally never smoked in that vehicle.
Maybe it was mentioned I didn't see it. I saw the mention of the cig lighter.