Packard Forum Index » General

My story is shockingly similar to 51Packard and oregonstan's. I'm 24 now, but I wanted an old car since I could walk (that was when my parents started dragging me to car shows). When it came to buying something I could afford, prewar cars and seemingly anything postwar by the Big Three was more or less out of my price range. My 1951 200 was priced right and had a ton of character. I wasn't actively searching for a Packard, but I'm glad it worked out that way.

Judging by the number of younger members with similar cars, maybe the 24th series is a great entry point into the world of ownership. It certainly offers the right balance of affordability, parts availability, reliability and the provenance that comes with the marque.

Glad this topic came up. I had a great afternoon at my local Packard club's tech day a few weeks ago, but I would have loved to have seen more members in my age range there...

Graham:

Maybe the next time you go to a show/tour/meet, bring along a couple of friends. They'll enjoy riding in your car and if you trust them, let them take a spin at the wheel. When they are at the event, take them around to individual members, introduce them to everyone, and make sure your friends spend some time talking to the members, no matter what their age. As you have already found out, the cars are the stars and you can get as much enthusiasm out of a 70-year-old when it comes to talking about his car as you can a 30-year-old. The dialogue might be a bit different, but you get my drift.

The point is, it is up to you and others like you who are into these cars to bring in more younger members. Most clubs do not require car ownership as a prerequisite. If you can plant the bug in your friends' heads about how cool it is to own a car like a 1952 200 or a 1955 Clipper, or maybe something even older, then it will take root and you may get a few bites. Whenever I see young people checking out our cars, I immediately go over and engage them by talking about my Clipper and explaining the history and details of other Packards in the vicinity. They really get it and really appreciate what is going on. I try to tell them that it is possible to get into a Packard without totally busting a budget; that by taking your time and looking around, you can generally find a reasonably priced driver that requires little just to make it a decent tourer. While the glorious trailer queens may steal the show, the good runners costing under $10,000 make great starters for younger folks with limited means.

As I said, it is up to current members to try to draw new people into the clubs. Since most of the members I know have no reservations about getting their hands dirty adjusting a carburator or changing a battery, most club members are anything but snobs. The snobs are usually members of the Rolls-Royce/Bentley clubs whose cars do not generally run, but look fantastic!

I think someone said earlier that the car chooses you. Well, that was the case for me. I'm 33, and have long been into cars courtesy of my Dad and my brother. Like many others, I grew up "helping" change oil and tires and clean the family cars at an early age. Mostly on the family's 64 Malibu. Mom was the original owner, and got the car and her first date with my dad on the same day...and both still run!

When I was little, I remember my brother had this collection of coins with different cars on them. Mostly coach built type cars. I remember always being intrigued by that one Packard coin for some reason!

My first love wound up being a 68 Mustang Fastback when I was 16. I must admit, Mustangs will always remain my first love, and I've owned many. One day though, while driving across the country with my wife, I happened on a 1951 2 door 200 in South Dakota, and I just had to have it. That big grill, the lines, 3 on the tree w/overdrive and a straight 8... Who could resist?!!

It's been two years since I've owned her, and although she's not seen the road yet, we are very close. I hope to get her to Lead East later this year for those of you who know what that is. There was a serious lack of Packards there last year...as in none...and that is not acceptable. How else will we keep the even younger folks than I interested if there's none around at any of the shows!

Thanks for listening...I've enjoyed this thread!

Although I've just turned 60, I'll add my two cents to this topic. I've been into cars since I caught the bug from my father, who also had a love of them. His prize was a '49 Chrysler New Yorker convertible that he purchased new and in which I was brought home from the hospital. His prior car was a '40 DeSoto that he had bought used shortly before he was drafted into the Army Air Corps.

I'm old enough to recall the mid to late 1950s cars when they were knew and remember waiting in ancitipation to see the new models come out. It was quite a big deal back then and the car dealers would all soap their windows until the debut date. My dad was originally a Chrysler man but turned to Fords in the late 1950s when he started selling them as a part-time job. One of the major benefits in my eyes was that I got to see the new Ford models before they were released to the public - I thought that was soooo cool.

My interest in Packards probably began with the owner of a local shoe store. He always bought new Packards and I distinctly remember his red and white 1958 Packard two-door coupe parked behind the shoe store well into the late 1960s or early 1970s. With the fins and such, it definitely caught my eye. Eventually, he turned to Cadillacs and I never found out what happened to his '58 Packard.

While my dad was a Chrysler, then a Ford, then back to Chrysler man, he always spoke of Packards with awe. He was never in a position to buy a new one himself and he always found decent deals on one- or two-year old Chryslers. As for myself, I always liked the style of the '55-'56 Packards and I have to admit that I prefer the seniors over the Clippers. No offence meant to the Clipper fans, but I just liked the stately elegance of the '55 and '56 seniors.

A few years ago I finally got to the point in my life where I could seriously consider getting a classic car to work on and restore to driving condition. I have a garage in which to shelter it and the time in which to work on it. After looking around, I finally picked up a '55 Patrician that had been the project of someone obviously younger than myself. Much of my time has been spent undoing what a previous owner did and then fixing it correctly.

I then picked up a second Packard, also a '55, but this one was a 400 two-door coupe. That is ostensibly my wife's Packard and a bit closer to being roadworthy than is the Patrician. But the Patrician is catching up fast. While my wife's first love is the '57 Chevrolet Bel Aire convertibles, she has warmed up to the Packards and is looking forward to some nights this summer cruising in the Four Hundred.

My two grandchildren, my 10-year old grandson, and my 6-year old granddaughter, have already been given rides in Opa's Packard and were thrilled as they could be. My grandson thinks that both Packards are cool but he likes the Four Hundred because it has antique tags on it and we can drive it on the road. The lad's quite practical. Hopefully, my grandson will be assisting his Opa with one or both of the cars this coming summer and perhaps he'll catch the bug. As for my granddaugher, with her personality, she's not intersted in the mechanics, just whether she can ride in it. God help me if she ever gets a look at a fully restored '55 or '56 Caribbean convertible! I'll never hear the end of it.

I don't know if any of my ramblings added to the topic, I hope so.

MrBumble,

I'm looking forward to getting back on the road for a lot of reasons, but I'm especially looking forward to bombing around with my friends again. There were a few guys who I (almost) inspired to find a cheap old car and it might just take a few meets and some time hanging out in the garage to get them to take the plunge.

Things working against younger guys are heavy student loan burdens (a lot less disposable cash), a rocky economic climate (though it's improving, hopefully) and an increased tendency to live in cities (at least that's what I've notice in metro Detroit). But all of these things can be overcome by passionate enthusiasts.

Graham:

A guy doesn't have to by a Packard Twelve formal sedan as a starter car. Hemmings Motor News (www.hemmings.com) is full of reasonably priced older cars that would definitely stand out from the usual array of Toyotas and Hondas. For example, here is a 1948 Packard in good condition (certainly not mint) for $10,500.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/packard/unspecified/1534999.html
And here is a 1949 Packard in No. 3 condition, also for $10,500:
hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/packard/deluxe/1532737.html
Here is the find of the day: A 1953 Packard Clipper sedan with 65,000 miles in great condition for only $9,500! The car is located in West Chester, PA. A perfect starter car!
hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/packard/clipper/1355713.html

There are lots of other great cars for young guys to get into at good prices. For those in apartments, a decent car cover should suffice to protect it, and with some degree of cunning and resourcefulness, they can likely find garage space. Insurance on these cars is usually pretty low priced because they are driven a lot, and I found credit unions such as Pentagon Federal offer low-interest loans on any model year of Packard or other makers.

My first Packard was my mother's car. In 1956, my father bought her a 1934 Super Eight Coupe Roadster from our local pharmacist. He had a collection of Packards and old clocks. His wife wanted a new washing machine. It was either the clocks or the Packards. He chose to let go of the Packards. On Christmas day 1956 my mother got a 34 Packard*.

When she died in 1991, I became the caretaker of the car, and in 2002 I bought it from my father.

I remember many happy spring days working with my dad on the car to get it running and ready for the Minnesota driving season. My mother drove the car every chance she had; including pulling me and my friends from the hell called junior high to go see a movie.

The car has since been restored, but the gas pedal and shifter knob remain as they were.

Cheers,

Tom

p.s. I took over the car when I was 29. I'm 45ish now.

*He bought two super eight 34s, a sedan and the coupe roadster. He paid $3000 for both. He sold the sedan before Xmas.

I'm under 60 (40 almost 41) and I've mostly been into Hudson's and early Dodge. Well, most anything unique and interesting. The orphan cars just jumped out me: Studebaker, Hudson, Nash, Packard, etc...

My father drove a 1936 Dodge sedan delivery until I was 15 yrs. old (we called it the 'Hunch Back'). I remember looking out over that long narrow nose at the ram hood ornament as a child... and when I stumbled across my '38 Packard (of nearly the same color as my dad's Dodge) it brought back those formative memories. Even better though...it's a Packard, albeit a Packard Six. It was affordable (not enough to get me in the dog house), so I jumped on it.

I love that era of grace in design. It feels like an adult car. Not a hot rod, not sporty, not strictly utilitarian. I guess it's a way to relive some childhood memories along with the nostalgia of old movies like 'The Thin Man'. For me, Packard seems to capture all of that particular grace and glamor. Lord knows my '04 Dodge 2500 doesn't do that.

-Erik

I have really enjoyed this thread immensely. We are definitely an interesting bunch of confederates enthralled by a magnificent automobile company.

I guess I should chime in here as well. I'm 56 now, but I was 16 when I got my first car, which is also my first and only Packard. I had always loved cars as a kid, and because I had no living memory of new Packards or Packard dealers, I owe my fascination with Packard to the stories of my father. He never owned a Packard, but he always spoke so highly of them. I can never say that I didn't get anything from my dad, because besides his waistline, I also got my regard of Packard from him!

The car that I fell in love with at first sight was the 1956 Caribbean convertible. I saw a picture of one for the first time in 1972, when I was 15. As things should turn out, my father ended up making a deal with a Detroit Caribbean owner to buy his 1955. It was so magnificent I didn't really care that it wasn't a 1956! It was a piece of history and it was a Packard!

My key takeaways are to be sure to talk to young people and share your Packard stories, and I also echo what others have said about letting young kids sit in your cars, or even give them rides. Just before we found the 1955 Caribbean for sale, my father and I attended the 1973 Packard National Meet in Detroit, and we were guests of Roscoe Stelford in the back seat of his 1956 Caribbean convertible! It definitely left a lasting impression!