Re: Asking the men and women who own one...

Posted by Rusty O\'Toole On 2009/4/4 9:33:46

Owen I think you take me too literally.

I believe the 1951-54 Packards were good cars in their day and fully up to Packard standards. But they are about the cheapest to buy today because they are not sought after by collectors.

Of course this is a generalisation. I know there are Packards for that time period that are very desirable and expensive. A 1954 Panther just sold for over a 1/4 million dollars.

This also does not mean they are not desirable cars. I wouldn't mind having one myself. To me, one of the desirable features is that they are affordable. Another desirable feature is that they are modern enough, and reliable enough, that you could drive one for regular transportation within reason.

But there is no denying that model for model, and in equal condition, they sell for low prices compared to say, a prewar Packard. They also sell for less money than contemporary cars such as a 1950s Cadillac, Buick or even cheap Fords and Chevs. While a Ford or Chev was never in a class with even the cheapest Packard when it came to quality.

As for whether they are cheaper than a 1948-50 model, I think they might be but the difference would be negligable.

What I was trying to say was that the Packard is an excellent buy, and not because it is in any way an inferior car. It is a high quality car. The low price is simply because that model is overlooked by collectors.