Re: Dedicated Grievance/Complaint Thread

Posted by Dave Kenney On 2008/7/13 11:31:15

Brian, I somewhat agree that the internet has made some aspects of old car ownership redundant. Certainly E-Bay and the internet in general has made parts sourcing so much easier than in the good ol' days where parts were usually aquired by long waits for letters to arrive and money orders sent etc. In the 1960 I restored a 1947 Cadillac then just an old car and in the 1980's, before the internet, I restored a 1947 Nash 600 Brougham and the processes was long and painstakingly slow but I found that the Nash Club was an almost essential resource but advise and parts were obtained by mail or over the phone. I joined the Packard Club in 1990 so that I could locate a Packard to buy and have been a member ever since. I consider myself more of a subscriber since I have only been to one meet and know of only one other member less than 200 miles away. As it turned out I found my car in the Old Car Trader not the club newsletter. Clubs certainly have a purpose but now I think it has mostly been relegated to social events rather than technical or parts source support groups. Many of the Packard Club members are either seniors or near that time and to many the internet is a mysterious place so a club in the traditional sense is very important to them. I am not a joiner and don't belong to any clubs. I find that egos and personality clashes get in the way of simply having fun. My hope is that this site, which in a way has become my club, will not deteriorate into a similar organization where past differences, grudges and personality clashes impinge on the comraderie of mutual enjoyment of our beloved Packards. Difference are surely to arise; it's human nature to do so, but in those rare cases let us please air our differences in a polite manner. comparing someone to Hitler or Stalin etc. is not conducive to rational debate.