Minor points: > it couldn't drive far from gas stations You could buy gasoline at a pharmacist. > it needed oil changes at garages that didn't exist yet You

Minor points: > it couldn't drive far from gas stations You could buy gasoline at a pharmacist. > it needed oil changes at garages that didn't exist yet You were expected to to it yourself. This 1909 manual describes how for a Model T: https://archive.org/details/ford-price-list-model-t-1909/page/n21/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/ford-price-list-model-t-1909/pag... I suspect local bike mechanics and blacksmiths could also do this work. Given your recent drive, you might like to read about the first drive across the US, in 1903 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio_Nelson_Jackson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio_Nelson_Jackson .