Even on a Kia, though, you get things that you didn't get in a VW Beetle in 1964. You have to pay more for more things--that's just the way it goes.
A 1964 Beetle was a piece of crap. A Kia in 2005, while not the best car in the world by any stretch, is light years ahead of what a VW Beetle was in 1964.
I don't see your point. You're getting more. In life, a good rule of thumb is that you should expect to pay more when you're getting more.
I should amend this by saying that if GM or Ford introduced a car that had the same specs as a 1964 VW Beetle today, they wouldn't sell one--not one.
40 hp engine, no air conditioning, unsafe, etc., etc. The only reason people buy those things now is because people, strangely enough, are enamored with the past--as you seem to be. It wasn't always better, and the days weren't always good. Indeed, they are a helluva lot better now.
Again, you are NOT paying more. Adjusted for inflation, you are NOT paying more. Adjusted for inflation, a Kia costs what a Volkswagen Beetle did.