The Owners Manual for my SIL’s 1967 Datsun SPL-310 was written in Pidgin English, and was essentially useless–except for providing some laughs. The only passage from the manual that I recall was, “Your windscreen wiper have two kind speed”.
Trust me, there was nothing “kind” about that rolling disaster.
My Honda motorcycle repair manual was similar. Useful and amusing.
I have a similar issue. To start my Tesla I put the car in drive or reverse and go. When parking it I put it in park and get out. I always forget to push the shop button in Mrs JT’s Odyssey when I park. I got her new tires on Wednesday and didn’t remember to push to stop button before opening the door until I returned from the trip.
What about those old MB cars that had vacuum anctuated everything?
In those old Benzes, getting to the reservoir didn’t require disassembling half the vehicle, as I recall
We published this article last week by Aaron Turpen:Gimme Back My Buttons! - Car Talk
Were the MB systems reliable?
I’ve had a few cars with voice command and it wouldn’t work right, just more frustration.
It can be said about any Hvac controls! Look at all the whiz bang electronic actuators go bad now. Id rather splice in a peice of vacuum line every now and then.
Had a tech do a flat repair on a Tesla and when he was done he backed it up to the front door, after about 15-20 minutes, I went out and asked him what he was doing, he said trying to turn the car off… 
So-so
It seemed it was usually a rotten vacuum line or fitting in a fairly accessible location, causing the system to default to defrost . . . but I’ve replaced a few vacuum actuators, as well
I haven’t really worked on those cars in a LONG time now, so I can’t imagine what condition any remaining Benzes with vacuum HVAC systems are now in. Any such car is going to be model year 2003 or older . . . much older, in most cases
How do you turn a Tesla off, Dave?
By being mean to it of course… 
I owned a 1969 Datsun 510 also! Great cars for their time. Like most cars back then, very thin sheet metal. In the snow belt they rusted away in just a few years.
I had a 1976 Impala with the high beam switch on the floor! If the floorboard rusted enough you would hit the switch and it would fall through the floor! Good reason to move the switches up to the column.
Press the end of the gear selector stalk to put it in park. Press and hold it again and it engages the parking brake. I’m so used to it that I don’t always remember to turn off an ICE motor with the ignition button or key.
This was back around 2016ish and He finally just got out and shut the door, the vehicle “powered” itself down and locked the doors (pulled the handles in, what ever it does)… It was the 1st time any of us has seen one up close…
My SIL’s 1967 Datsun SPL-310’s bumpers and chrome trim were completely coated in rust after less than 2 years. Rust began to appear in the rocker panel area shortly after that, and if we hadn’t gotten rid of that ridiculously-awful car, it would have rusted-away in another year or so.
The Datsun 510 was a Japanese BMW 2002.
Strut front suspension and an independent semi-trailing arm rear suspension. A single overhead cam 1.6 liter 4 with a 2 barrel carb and dual point distributor.
It was very light, had NO rust protection but it handled very well. The engine was reliable and nearly bulletproof.
Apparently Datsun learned a few things since the SPL-310. The SPL was just a bit too much like the English roadsters it was modeled after! 
Audio equipment from Japan was written by the same guy. “Insert button push on”. It was horrible.
My wife owned a Datsun 510. Mechanically it was a great car. That Naps-Z engine with dual ignition had a lot of pep. But it was a rust bucket after 6 years when my wife bought her firs Accord.
My SIL actually wanted an Austin-Healey 3000–until she saw the price.
Maybe the AH 3000 would have been more reliable than the Datsun SPL-310.
It certainly couldn’t have been worse.