I don’t think it’s an exaggeration. Name a FWD car, I’ll find an AWD car built on the same platform 
Your second point is valid.
I would seriously pay quite a bit of money to get one of those on my car.
I didn’t know how badly I want this until just this second.
JC Whitney ought to be able to set you up. They always sold an astounding variety of aftermarket horns. Most are pretty cheap and easy to install.
I’m assuming this is the spark advance/retard lever.
Reminds me of a story about an 8-cylinder Rolls-Royce of long ago, which claimed that if it had been less than a couple of hours since the car had last been run, you could start it simply by flicking this lever: One cylinder would still have fuel mixture under compression, and the flick would fire its plug, which would kick the engine over.
The littletoe button switch for the high beams.
And I wonder, does anything come standard with a full-sized spare anymore?
A car phone. Which I think were standard on caddies for a while.
ETA: Long skinny metal telescoping antennae.
Yes, I am olde. Now get off my lawn you whippersnappers!
Curb feelers?
I know that as 2011 my company was building B-sized cars with manual windows and locks, but I’m not sure if they were destined for sale in the US or not. In Mexico, though, there is still a lot of demand for “austere” vehicles lacking modern conveniences.
I suspect that the demise of the bench seat has really impacted sales of necker knobs.
Horse
What if the “chic” is driving? (And prefers to snuggle with men.)
Do they still make cars with built-in cigarette lighters? If not, does anyone know the last time a production car came with a lighter as standard equipment?
(I’m sure you could get a car customised with a lighter if you were rich enough.)
Even in cars that don’t come with lighters, they still have the socket for a lighter, so customizing the car is an issue of paying (checks Amazon) around $4.
The standard 12v power port still works as a cigarette lighter receptacle, so all they have to do is actually give you the lighter part. I think some cars still offer a “smoker’s package” that’s basically just that and a metal lining to make one of the cubbies into an ashtray.
Oh, that reminds me: ashtrays! I was at the Shanghai auto show a few weeks ago and felt some nostalgia when I saw that a lot of cars in this market still have ash trays built-in. One of our joint-venture partners has a “local version” of one of our SUV products, and although the interiors are nearly identical looking, one of the notable differences is the Chinese-branded version still has ashtrays in the front and rear passenger compartments. Our version, though, requires you to purchase a separate smokers’ package wherein the cup holders can become ashtrays. I forgot to check whether or not the local brand includes a “cigar lighter” (that’s how they’re referred to in owners’ manuals).
smells like bullshit. even a new engine won’t hold compression for that long.
My 2013 Yaris has manual windows and locks.
I had assumed those went away because of some kind of safety regulation or something, but that article says there simply isn’t demand. I don’t get it: why not? I mean, I’m not asking why bench seats aren’t the most popular option, but it’s hard for me to comprehend that they would be in so little demand that it’s not even worth serving a niche market. I mean, you can fit another person in there, obviously; but you can also do like my parents did when I was little and have someone sleep lying along the front seat at a rest area or campground. Not to mention having your sweetie snuggle up with you while you drive.
Might be possible to get a bench seat cheap from a U Pull Wreckiing yard. Get it reupholstered.
I think nearly all car seats mount to the floor the same way. I’ve pulled the seats out of a few cars that I fixed up 20 years ago. They all had the same bolt layout IIRC.
I yanked the rear seat out of my 1976 2 door Ford Torino and stored in my dad’s garage. Gave me lots of storage space for camping gear. Reinstalled the seat years later just before listing it for sale.
My folks used to get a car with a front bench because of the way their garage was set up it was easier for the driver parking in the left side spot to slide out via the passenger door. Now they have a smaller car where it’s not a problem. The ability to put 6 people in a car had limited appeal; it just rarely came up.
I did the same thing with my '67 Caprice 4 door hardtop. Removing the back bench gave me loads more space to haul my fireworks inventory back and forth from the fireworks stand. Along the same lines, I once removed the front passenger side bucket seat and stashed it upside down behind the driver’s seat so I could get a big wooden chest in the car (2 door Sentra). One might run into troubles these days trying that because of sensors in the seats.
My 2014 Jeep Wrangler has crank windows and manual locks (I assume to make door removal simpler), also a full size spare.
Has anyone other than VW ever used the spare tire to power the windshield washer?