old-style vaccum windscreen wipers (driven by engine vaccum)
just when you need them most - eg when accelerating - they stop working!
early VW Beetles (like my 1955) had the fusebox thoughtfully positioned directly above the fuel tank, so when the swing axles finally caught you out and you rolled it, the thing would usually catch fire on you as well
any vehicle that doesn't come equipped as standard with a proper spare tyre, but instead has those unsafe & impractical el-cheapo spacesavers - or worse still, a can of inflato-goo .. prayer book optional.
hard to believe, but even some supposed 'go anywhere' 4WDs (VW & Porsche eg) don't include a spare tyre these days
Btw, I rather like three-on-the-tree shifters - simple, ergonomic, effortless. Conversely it's those awful 6-speed gearboxes like Tremec T56 which are often vague to use, have a poorly defined gate, a lousy shift action, and over-supply of ratios