Re: Attractive 1939 1238 Model 12 Packard on ebay

Posted by Garrett Meadows On 2016/11/17 14:24:54

Hi Steve!

While my late father's parents were hardly of the financial means to buy a car of the caliber of those you referenced in your extremely informative response, they were still doing well enough in the late 1930s to buy an upper end car, but refused to do so.

My grandfather said he simply could not justify buying a nice car in the late 1930s when so many people were still in dire financial straights. Since they lived in a rather small town, a brand new upper end car would be very conspicuous and its owner open to censure by the community. My grandfather said people in general felt bad enough without being reminded that were people who had managed to come through the Depression fairly unscathed.

I don't really know why I told you that story other than your stats about the precipitous drop-off of luxury car sales in the late 1930s reminded me of why my grandparents wouldn't buy big luxury car during that time period.

Boy, I don't know of many people now-days who would deny themselves similarly.

kind regards
Garrett