Thank you very much!

Greetings! I am about to purchase a 1950 Packard Eight 2301 Touring Sedan, with a three speed manual transmission but am concerned about a sticky feeling when shifting/downshifting: especially shifting into reverse. On first blush the linkage appears normal and somewhat lubricated. The car has not been driven much over the last four years. What action should I take to determine if this is a unique problem to this car or general in nature? Can I feel somewhat confident that other than linkage damage/misalignment that I can clean all involved parts and lubricate fully that this sticky feeling will likely be cleared? Are there springs and/or other hardware that may be damaged or missing I need to check? Thank you for the consideration of your experience. I greatly appreciate it and hopefully will soon be a car owning member among you. My intention is to work on this car together with my 10 year old grandson creating quality time together where many life's lessons present themselves and the opportunity to teach is natural. Thank you.