I don’t remember if my 74 or 81 had the lighters in the rear or not but they sure had the standard GM ash trays. I remember because I’d have to clean out the gum wrappers and discarded gum in them. Better than sticking the gum under the seat anyway. Interesting that airplanes still used the standard GM ash trays in their arm rests for a long time after. They also continue to use the old style GM seat belt buckles. I don’t know who makes this stuff but they made a lot of money on the design.
My dad had the lowest trim line 1939 Chevrolet, the Master 85. It did have four options: 1) a recirculating under-the-dash heater made by the Harrison division of GM, but it had no tubes running up to the windshield for a defroster; 2) the optional column shift with the vacuum assist instead of the floor shift; 3) a right hand sun visor; 4) a cigarette lighter. The cigarette lighter was not needed for my parents as they didn’t smoke. The next car was a bottom of the line1947 Dodge. It was equipped like the 1939 Chevrolet except that the recirculating heater did have tubes running up to the windshield to defrost the windshield. It also had a clock that didn’t work.
In 1962 I bought a 1955 Pontiac and it didn’t have a radio. I bought a radio from an auto salvage yard and installed it. It did have a cigarette lighter, however.
When I was living in europe, AC was considered a luxury feature
Anyways, over the years, only 2 of our cars had AC, but all the others still had cigarette lighters and ashtrays, even the truly bare bones cars without power steering or power brakes
Earlier, I had mentioned that I used to smoke once upon a time
But I never smoked in any of our cars . . . I wonder if that’s common, as far as smokers and/or ex-smokers goes
thus, none of our cars ever had a problem with that “yellowed” headliner
my grandmother was a lifelong smoker, and she most definitely smoked in all of her various cars. And they all had that “yellowed” headliner
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Did the temperature ever get to 96F (36C) at the North Sea when you were in Germany? We went to the beach at Cuxhaven in August 2003, and it got that hot. Later in the visit we went to Sanssouci and was 96 there too. It was unusual then, but I understand it isn’t so unusual now. We were happy to have AC in our rental van.
I didn’t live anywhere near the North Sea
I lived in southwestern Germany, and I’ve been in the USA since the late 1990s
Anyways, 100 degree says were rare when I lived in Germany, although I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re more common now
When my grandmother was considering getting ac installed in her house in the mid-1990s, there weren’t a lot of choices. I clearly remember the offerings were american 
She did live in northern Germany, but not nearly as far north as the North Sea . . . very small city. I believe the only interesting thing in the general area was the Karmann factory
I would say yes, the Cirrus/Stratus/Breeze was a good car. Even now, more than 20 years later, I still see them on the road fairly often. At this point, the previous models (Shadow/Sundance and Spirit/Acclaim) have become a VERY rare sight.
And no wonder, considering they’re pretty old by now
Thank you for further clarifying your position
I don’t remember anyone having air conditioning. No bugs, no screens on the windows and no air, even in the good hotels. Until you got down to southern France or Italy, it really was not needed. A lot of the buildings though were stone which would keep the place cool.
Different building standards/customs, no doubt about it
An acquaintance in Ireland has a brand new house with no screens on the windows, no a/c, and the house is heated with a modern stove (their term for the furnace) that uses dried peat for fuel and supplies the heat to a type of modern dry radiators. They have to keep the stove/furnace stoked by hand with peat similar to old coal furnaces.
And it seems few homes there have a garage for the car or a paved driveway. Instead drives and uncovered parking pads are crushed stone.
My first criteria for a car is a front seat thati s comfortable for me with enough legroom, The Cirrus, Stratus and Breexe were perfect for me. The only Chrysler product I ever saw that did not fit me was the Crossfire and that was based on a Mercedes model. The Tarus had nowhere near enough legroom for me.
Almostall GM vehicles are uncomfortable for me, I have driven Okds 98s and Cadillacs, Suburbans, pickupd and Class8 tractors and the all have lousy ergonomics.
No matter what car it is, there are some people who love it for their own reasons. I think it should have been a crime to sell any air cooled VW any place that has Winter.
Cant remember if my 1957 Karmen Ghia had an ashtray or not but it didn’t have a cig lighter. It didn’t even have a gas gauge. Instead it had a petcock with a reserve just like a motorcycle. It did have a really big clock where one would expect to find a tach.
And no wonder
I seem to remember you said you were pretty tall
The Crossfire was based on the Mercedes-Benz SLK, which was a tiny roadster
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Well, I was 6’3" which was tall for my day . but most of it was legs. I am very clumsy on a ladder because the center of my kneecap hits dead center on the second rung above the one I am standing on so I can’t get my knees inside the ladder.
I laughed when I saw the reply of the 6’ 4" guy who found a Camaro so comforasble. When I sit in a Camaro, the seat is too low and there is no place for my knees to go but up in the air and all my weight rests on my tailbone because I cannot get my thighs down on the seat. This holds true for almost everything GM except oddly a Saturn Ion my one granddaughter had. Of course the Ion was based on an Opel design.
Unless you have one with a gas heater, then they are nice and toasty. In fact, on the highway, I’d have to turn the gas heater off.
Back in the 60’s when most cars had bench seats, I always liked the Fords. They seemed to fit me better than GM or Plymouth.
I knew someone with a Corvair with a gas heater. The car got 30 mpg and so did the heater, so all winter 15 mpg.
My father in law had a 37 Ford V8 60 that had a gas heater in it . Sat under the dash on the passenger side. Glowed red and dripped gasoline on the floor. They don’t make them like the good old days.
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What could possibly go wrong?
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Stewart-Warner made aftermarket gasoline heaters under the name of Southwind. Heaters were optional equipment in many cars into the mid 1950s. Sears, Montgomery Ward and Western Auto sold aftermarket heaters. I had a cousin who bought a new 1949 Chevrolet and he had a Southwind gasoline heater installed. Apparently, it gave him trouble, so he replaced it with a recirculating hot water heater. When he bought a new Chevrolet in 1952, he had the replacement heater from the 1949 Chevrolet removed and installed in the 1952 Chevrolet.
Were theaters insufficient and that is why he bought aftermarket gasoliheaters?
Why was thengine coolant not pumped into a passenger compartment radiator?
Friend’s 1960’s Chevrolet CarryAll did not recirculate inside air.
In the mountains, we.re always coldriving in low temperatures. Though the air was heated 40 degrees, from 0°F. outside it only got up to 40°F. inside the passenger compartment.
(His CarryAll did come from southern California - if that made any difference.)
Many things, like heaters, back up lights, rear view mirrors, wipers, etc., were optional ‘way back when’. Of course, air cooled Beetles needed help even with the factory heater.