Isuzu Rodeo. I had one and it was a good reliable vehicle.
I also wish Toyota still made Rav4’s with V6 engines.
Anything Saturn made but especially the Vue and SW2 or LWs.
If we’re going older the Plymouth “Feather-Duster” with the aluminum block or the Plymouth Arrow.
Sunbeam tiger. 
Bring back small pickup trucks! I needed to buy a new car last year and was surprised to
find that no one makes them anymore. Years ago, I had a '85 Toyota pickup. It was
inexpensive to buy and maintain plus it came in handy if you needed to haul something.
I dislike many of the modern cars - they seem to have more gadgets than the space
shuttle. When I was shopping for cars last year I almost looked into getting an old
compact pickup with a manual transmission and having it fixed up.
Just give me one of those Wenkel rotaries again. The 7 or 8 would be fine.
The VW Microbus and the VW Vanagon.
Love that cab-over design!
They have never gone out of production. What do you think a Suburban is? Or a Yukon? Or Expedition? Or a Sequoia?
Anyhoo…I will also second the Shelby Cobra and the Honda S2000. Also the Crown Victoria, those things were tanks.
And revive the Pontiac nameplate and make it the all new exclusive performance arm of GM, with no platform or engine sharing.
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1990-1993 Isuzu Trooper. Small enough to park in a compact car spot, comfortable enough to commute in, and did great on the beach (with light truck tires and a 4-wheel alignment every 5000 miles).
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1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Coupe. Didn’t really have much guts, but it was comfortable as heck (to me) and looked great (for a boxy car).
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1969 Chevy II/Nova SS with the 396. I never liked the look of the Chevelle that much and the Nova was small enough to make it fun to drive. Plus, I had to have something in this list with bench seats.
BONUS:
- 1984 Honda V-65 Magna motorcycle. Put 4-into-1s on it, add a jet kit, tune it a bit, move the bars back about two inches, and your only problem was that you had to replace the rear wheel about every 2000 miles (and replace the battery at the same time).
I think enipla is talking about smaller ones like the old BoF Explorer, Blazer/Trailblazer, and Jimmy/Envoy.
I loved mine, too. My youngest sister is now driving it, but it looks a whole lot smaller. Since selling it to her, I’ve been driving a Sonata which is a lot comfier. and wider.
But, to the OP - spousal unit and I were discussing cars this weekend. He commented how the Corvette is now looking like a Ferrari or similar car in styling. I was saying how much the 'Vette has changed since the '56 version with the contrasting colors. I’d like to see how the body would have evolved had they kept that contrasted section. Similar to when Ford redesigned the Mustang to recall the original body.
I guess that’s not really an answer, since the 'Vette never went away, but I’d still like to see what may have happened.
The Lotus Elise. It’s still in production in England but not sold in the U.S. I hope it counts for your purposes. If not that, the FD Mazda RX-7, the original Acura NSX, turbo Toyota MR-2, and the 1995 Toyota Supra Turbo.
Yes — the Elise! A beautiful car.
Yes of course. I’m thinking more mid-sized like the first generation Pathfinder. I now have the third generation Pathfinder which went back to body on frame. Now, the fourth generation is back to a uni-body. About the size of a Subaru Outback (my wife has the new Outback).
Just two weeks ago I got my Pathfinder stuck. Had to winch it out with my truck. I feel a little bit more secure hooking a 10,000 pound winch to a body on frame than a uni-body. Just hooked the winch to the trailer hitch and pulled it out. (truck has a plow on the front, chained up on all four tires and the winch on the back. And It dragged itself before finally moving the Pathfinder, a little hesitant to put that kind of pressure on a unibody).
The mid-sized are turning into ‘cross overs’. It’s very hard to find a good place to winch from on a uni-body.
Manual transmission options for lots of models.
Sometimes a stick shift is all that separates a car from major boredom.
Pontiac G6 Convertible.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a modern hard-top convertible that isn’t in a high-end sports ('Vette) or Luxury (Volvo) car? The closest I got is the Eos and while I absolutely LOVE that car…it’s a VW and thus a bitch to maintain.
It’s not a hard-top, but I fear for the life of the Buick Cascada as an affordable convertible as well. If my poor old Saab would have survived just a couple months more I could be driving that instead of what I have. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Cruze hatchback, but a convertible! Sigh…
Generically: Cars w/ names, not just an “X” & some numbers like so many modern variants.
Acura currently has 6 vehicles, all of them three letters, with the last one being an “X”. When they started they had Integra, Vigor, Legend…& NSX.
More specifically: 4 door hatchbacks that are not econoboxes, like the Mazda 6.
A Pontiac Trans Am, preferably one that drives itself.
Another vote for the real Beetle (not those imposters they tried to introduce a few years back).
And not any specific model, but whatever happened to all of the hatchbacks? It’s a practical design for a compact car that can occasionally carry decent-sized cargoes when necessary.
I always liked the look of the Plymouth Prowler. I know they had issues, but that’s mostly just engineering.
Ah, of course, how silly of me. That just goes to show you how scarce what you are referring to really have become. When I think of a truck-based SUV, my mind immediately drifts to the full-size variety. And speaking of the Pathfinder, aside from the different underpinnings, WTF did Nissan do to that thing? It used to be a cool, boxier shaped mid-size SUV, now it looks like a minivan!
What makes you “fear” for the Cascada? It’s a proven design, being an Opel built in Europe (and based on an older Opel model, the Astra)? Besides it looking like a Buick Regal and Verano had a bastard child and having outdated technology in terms of the display and infotainment system AND it being a slug to drive due to being heavy and underpowered, it’s actually quite the boulevard cruiser. Very comfortable and sedate. Definitely NOT a sports car at all, but it was never intended to be. IT IS a purpose built convertible though, no hardtop model exists, nor does a four door.
If I had the money, I would definitely spring for a 1977 T/A with all modern internals, brakes, stereo, suspension, etc. Like this thing of beauty:
Video: