Need Recommendations Needed for Diecast Vehicles

check Diecast Direct.  i just scanned some of their 1:43 scale models (they have hundreds listed) and although you can definitely spend upwards of $50 to over $100, i saw many in the $10-$20 range.  it's best to get a hard copy of their catalog which makes it a lot easier to pick out the low end manufacturers.  and by low end, i only mean price.  i have many economy diecast models and they are all excellent for their role as scenery.

http://www.eautomobilia.com/

They have a sale on this weekend 25% or more off on many items.

Vast price range. 

Diecastdirect has lots of 1:43 and 1:50 vehicles over a large price range and provides good service.  So does Mint Models and so does Buffalo Road (constructionscalemodels.com), and there are others that specialize. eautomobile has a vast selection many of which you will not find anywhere else but is generally not as low priced as other sites.

However, the largest selection I have found, by far, particularly at the lower end of the price range (below $20) is on Amazon.com.  It helps to use their search engine and to keep in mind that it searches in a different way (more thoroughly) when restricted to only one department at a time. That said, if you go to the site and set the department selection at the top of their page to "All Departments" and then type "1:43 Amer Hobbies" (use the plural) into their search box and hit enter, it brings about 150 cars priced at either $9.90 or $11.90 offered by a quirky supplier out of Poland that offers only this small selection - prices are low and delivery takes about a week.    

     However, if you select Toys and Games department, and then use of their search engine for "1:43 automobile" for example, it will bring up about 400 pages of 24 cars each entries priced from $5.90 to $400+. "1:43 truck" or "1:50" truck" will bring up thousands more.   I generally search by year (1:43 1951 for example, or specific (1:43 1953 Mack B61 truck").  If in this Toys and Game section, you search for 1:43 brands known to be inexpensive (New Ray, Yat Ming) you will find a lot: "1:43 Yat Ming" in Toys and Games brings up about 250 entries piced from $6.

try e-bay or a local swap meet

Frank's advice is the best advice you can get on the subject.

More of the wrong era cheap stuff can be a big mistake.

Watch this long enough and you will get to the cars and town scenes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eS43Lokq5u0

Frank53 and Hugh Labis make important points.  It is a matter of taste, however: I don't like the look of many "crowded" layouts that really squeeze in every last building and vehicle possible until that tiny modeled world looks positively claustrophobic, but obviously their owners like it or they'd change it.  Do what you want, but keep in mind you do get a more realistic look if you only slightly compress the real world and if you leave a few downtown parking spaces empty and don't overcrowd the streets, etc. 

As to the cars, there is always a range of ages and it is normal to see a few 20 year old cars around.  I target 1955-56 in my layout, so I have one or two '57 models (they would have just been out then) and a fair number of cars from 48-56, with a smattering of older cars going back to the mid 30s.  I also cheat with a few cars that are newer than that that I really like ('59 cadillac I like, a '62 cobra, etc.).  Also, nearly everyone has an unrealistic distribution of "interesting" cars: many more sports, high-performance, and convertibles than would be the case int he real work, which is pretty much filled with dull, workaday sedans.  Again, that's just whatever you want to do. 

I agree with Frank and Hugh...better to have a few "quality" cars than a traffic jam of junk. I have about 200 nice diecast and handbuilt car models, yet I only use about 12 on my 5x8 layout (most of the rest are in display cases). Frankly, I don't understand why many of the beautiful layouts I see in OGR and CTT have "cheap" looking cars in a mix of eras from the 1930s to the present day. Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather have two $35. automobiles than one more freight car.

I've had my best luck at train or toy shows, plus sales at toy stores. For instance, the BNSF police car was an LCCA piece (about $30.00), but the Good Humor truck cost 12 bucks at a show, and the two American Muscle cars cost 4 bucks a piece, on sale. Sometimes, diecast can be found at local drugs stores. Ertl was a good brand, pricewise, also (especially at the outlet store in Dyersville, IA.).

harbor freight has some nice ones for around 4-5 bucks

It's interesting that when I entered the hobby around 15 years ago, Matchbox, Corgi, Ertl, Road champs were producing some really nice, affordable die-cast models. Today, you will be hard pressed to find the same quality and affordability. Now, it seems we have to contend with white metal or resin hand-built, with resin in my opinion, more expensive than the material itself. 

I've been using AwesomeDiecast.com, dicastmodels.co (it is co - not com) and diecastdirect.com for anything, which hasn't been much, since I have most of the vehicles I need.  

I forget what brand we bought, I will look for one of the boxes but we got maybe 8 different models which were pretty good detail and scale-wise, and they were very reasonable.

Go to Historicrail.com  They have three sets marked "classic convertibles die cast set," which include seven 50's cars each, for $49 a set.  Not bad, that's only $7 each and the quality is good.  If you browse the site they also have some other single vehicles for $7-9, but make sure you're in O scale as they have other sizes, these are roughly 1/43.   

They also have a 50's Mack and Peterbilt for $15 each

Not to start an argument, but over time Matchbox, Corgi, and Road Champs, as well as all New Ray and some Yat Ming models of similar quality, have been pretty well pushed off my layout by more recently made - and far better looking - resin models.  I don't really shop for those brands any more, although I will buy an older Corgi or Matchbox model of the odd car I can't find a modern resin model of (e.g., Daimler Dart - known in the US as the SP250, Aston Martin Mk II).  Resin models by NEO and American Excellence and are just outstanding in both fidelity to the dimensions and details of the originals.  Almost as good are the metal ones that Spark and Vitesse make, some of which are works of art.  Now, you get what you pay for - these models mostly run in the $45-$80 range, but I am very glad I have that option.  A really detailed model car often completes the "realism" of a scene nicely.  If you look at some of the postings on Richard E's weekly "Motor Chronicle" thread you can see the difference in some of the photos posted.

I will also recommend that you look at Model Power for houses and people.  They are realistic enough but the prices are very reasonable.  The houses even include two free figures and are prelit.

When I built my first layout in 1986, a Christmas one, a diecast car cost $16.

These were made mainly by Solido and Vitesse, if my memory is correct. In 2012 money, this would equal approx. $35. Since then, the selection is MUCH larger, especially in terms of non-convertibles. But many of these fall in the $30.-$80. range. Today you can also buy very inexpensive 1:43 cars...if you don't mind a layout full of top-down convertibles and 1948 Tuckers.

Montclaire New Ray is a poor choice at that price. They don't even have whitewall tires. The average price is about $5.00. Take the advice of other posters. Ebay is a good place to get an idea of what's available and prices. Just do a search for 1:43 cars or 1:43 diecast cars and trucks. DON'T search by year or car make.

Bob

Lee I have a slightly different opinion about some of the older model cars you mentioned. Matchbox made quite a few nice cars & trucks using Vitesse/SunStar dies, Road Champs made some decent cars & trucks, Cllector Classics made nice cars, Ertl also made nice cars & trucks, Corgi is good for trucks & buses, Yat Ming cars and trucks are decent. A lot of what I mentioned are affordable for the model railroader. Long gone Vitesse is back reissueing cars. Nice vehicles but costly are made by Brooklin, AE/Neo, Matrix, Whitebox, GLM, Esval, IXO.

BTW when some people hear the name Matchbox they think of those HO size cars they had when they were kids.

Bob 

Thank you all for the helpful advice. It is definitely appreciated. As a little background, my planned layout is approximately 200 square feet. I am planning to model one good sized town with some industry end users and then have a country/mountain region with supply industries. The 50 vehicles I mentioned in my original post is just an estimate, it will likely be less. I intend to place the vehicles in strategic places to create realistic scenes. As far as the 1940's, 1950's, 1960's vehicles statement, my intention is to model an era in the early 1960's. My intention is for the layout to look like the early 1960's, but I do plan to run modern era trains as well. I know that may be wrong to some. However, I really like the look of late 1950's & early 1960's, but I also like some of the newer diesels. My intention for the vehicles is to use mostly 1955-1964 vehicles, with an occasional earlier vehicle from the 40's. I don't think a late 40's pickup out in the country would look all that out of place in the early 60's. Just my opinion.

As far as not purchasing lots of stuff before my layout plan is ready, I definitely appreciate that advice and intend to adhere to it as best I can. Sometimes I do get carried away though so its good to have others remind me to slow down and plan more.

Thanks again for all the replies. You all are awesome and I really do appreciate the advice. Hopefully one day as I grow more knowledgeable about this hobby, I too will be able to help others with advice. 

Carefully searching on eBay has enabled me to get some VERY nice cars under the Matchbox/Dinky "Oldies but Goodies" line. These came in a pale yellow box.