While modeling 1943 gives you a wide selection of vehicles prior to that, many of them
are from (expensive) Brooklin and (not cheap) Rextoy, which last is now found used. Many of the models available are large, open, luxury classics, almost as rare as the Tucker, so I can't use them on the streets of "Podunk".
Good point. I live pretty close to the Lemay car museum, where they have a Tucker on display. They also sell 1:43 models I couldn't justify the cost for, about 150 each. I think they're Brooklyn.
But yeah, wartime backwoods south would never have anything but much older cars, trucks and delivery vehicles alongside Army stuff. No cars will stay in out of the box condition before going onto the layout, though. Also, they have to have period-correct license plates, even with the right county codes...
