Re: If you are under sixty, how did you get interested in Packards?

Posted by Craig the Clipper Man On 2013/5/9 7:16:53

You are right, Kevin, this is a great thread. I also agree with Erik about Packards being "adult" cars. When my wife and I were discussing the idea of buying my Bumblebee, she told me that she had never entertained the idea of owning a "doo-wop" car! I think I correctly pointed out that the '55 Clipper was not a car for teenagers ... it was the kind of car that their parents would have liked. I think that clenched the deal.

Like others here, my father never owned a Packard either; but my grandfather did, though I do not know what year or model it was. I asked my mother if Dad and she had ever contemplated buying a Packard and she said no, because they were too expensive. My father did own a Kaiser Manhattan, which he told me was a great car. My folks tended to be Ford people, with a couple of Chryslers thrown in for good measure. I'm not really sure why, but I think my father would have rather been run over by a GM car than own one. Go figure.

It is cool, though, my mother, who just turned 89, really likes the Clipper and enjoys riding in it. This Saturday I will pick her up at the retirement community she lives in near Frederick, MD and take her to the Packard Swap Meet there. I know she will like seeing all of the beautiful old cars and talking with the "young" folks who own them. And if any of you 20- or 30-somethings show up there, be sure to say hi to her! Your presence at these events is welcomed and appreciated -- you belong at Packard events just as much as us old folks, maybe even more.