[euromodder]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Not necessarily true. CO2 emissions (the only thing that really matters any more, since everything else was reduced to negligible levels years ago) are directly proportional to mpg, and in a good many cases - Honda CRX & Civic from the '80s, Metros, etc) the older cars will still get better mpg than anything new other than a Prius or Volt.

That everything else was reduced to negligible levels years ago is simply not true.
You mention some 1980s cars getting better mpg - mine definitely didn't - sure, but their other pollutants per mile are 6 times worse than a modern car.
That's if we look at the brochure numbers - IRL, wear and tampering will have pushed pollutants well beyond the brochure numbers.

Then there's the simple issue of driveability. Most new cars I've seen just aren't driveable

There's no issue whatsoever with driveability in new cars.
Cars have never driven better - or safer - than today.

with everything from automatic transmissions

They're better than ever - with some automated transmissions beating their manual counterparts in the official fuel consumption tests.

This won't apply to the typical US slushbox though.
The rental Chrysler 300 I once had was a downright nightmare.

Have you ever driven a DSG or similar gearbox ?
Most people simply can't shift gears as well or as consistently as a DSG.
Nor do they shift up as early.

to those stupid push-button start things that don't shut the engine off when you want to absurd levels of cell phone connectivity.

There's the point : to the level YOU want.

Car manufacturers put in a logic that will be different from what you'd do, as they want an unobtrusive stop/start system that most of their customers will want to use, rather than switch off.