Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Greetings all,

Someday I hope to get a Packard, most likely pre-war. I love the mid 30's cars, especially the Club Sedans.

The car would be used for occasional short drives in good weather (every week or two) and local car shows. I live near Lake Charles Louisiana.

I would like to get a car in very good condition or better and am willing to save up for one in good condition.

There are a couple that have captured my interest.

One was from Classic Promenade, listed for $89K. Seemed to sell pretty quickly (hope it's ok to post links)classicpromenade.com/for-sale/1934-packard-super-eight-model-1104-club-sedan/

Another is from Significant Cars for $115Ksignificantcars.com/vehicles/50/1935-packard-12-club-sedan

Here are the questions:
(Note I did a search but didn't get the results for my questions)

1. For someone with limited mechanical abilities, how much of a problem is this? (on a well sorted car) (Also, I am willing to learn)

2. How hard is it to find a mechanic to work on something like this?

3. What kind of maintenance would a car like this need on a regular basis?

4. Would a pre-purchase inspection be needed if buying from a reputable dealer?

5. How would I go about finding someone to do a pre-purchase inspection for a car like this? Would I need a Packard expert?

6. Any other advice for me?

Thanks!

1) How limited? Can you work with your hands? See if you can answer these questions:
- What is the proper tool to tighten lug nuts?
- What does a carburetor do?
- What does a coil do?

If you're handy but just not that familiar with cars, you can pick it up in time by working with people, reading the service manuals, and watching videos on car repair or stuff like JunkyardDigs.

2) I imagine that most Packard owners work on their own cars. Really any mechanic with experience on cars from the 70's or before could probably be trusted with one of these if you give him the link to the service manual, IMHO. Really depends on what you need. Oil change you could take to any competent mechanic. Engine tune-up, maybe not. Others will have better advice on this than I.

3) As long as it's in good shape and you're careful with it, pretty much just oil changes and lube jobs AFAIK. Though random issues will pop up from time to time, it's not much to worry about.

4) I don't think many are sold by dealers, but yes.

5) A mechanic familiar with older cars should be able to do a competent mechanical inspection. For stuff like originality, red flags, and other Packard specific stuff, post links/pictures here and people will tell you what's on their mind

6) Check out the Literature Archive and Model Info at left to learn more about a car you are considering.

Join the Packard club there are people in your area that can help you with all your concerns.

My I ate mechanical ability is non-existent, so the last 10 years or so I’ve relied on the people here. I may attempt to fix something myself, but even with help it usually takes me 3 or 5 times to get something back together perfectly right without breaking anything or hurting myself. A car in the range you’re considering should be done, drivable, reliable as an old car can be and ready to tour.? It should be complete and correct within reason.
If you believe life begins at conception, I’m 80 and still “work” on my car. When The Packard Person in my area isn’t available and I can’t or don’t want to do something myself, I take to the local muscle shop, a clean up to date shop with a few older guys who know carburetors and distributor timing. They have the lifts and equipment to pull a transmission a lot easier than I can, though I’ve done it to replace a clutch. When something doesn’t work after I fix it, I take a lot of pix and post them here and get help. IMHO someone selling an old Packard for $75k and up should have addressed all known issues unless the car is a custom bodied 12 from the ‘30s. If the seller will take you on a 2-hour test drive going over 40mph without any problems like overheating, low oil pressure, smoking exhaust or brakes, dying at a long idle at running temp, you’re prob good to go. And you should love the car, adore it, because you’ll undoubtedly be called upon to make sacrifices for it.

Wow, great info! Thanks for all the responses.

Regarding my abilities, I've helped do a little (very little) wrenching in my youth, oil changes, alternator replacement, clutch replacement. I know about torque wrenches. I understand what a carburetor does, but I would have no idea how to rebuild one. I know what a coil does, but not much more... One of my cars has an air cooled VW engine and I've read "How to keep your VW Alive", understanding most of it.

One question I forgot to ask. V12 vs straight 8... Are there big differences in finding people to work on either of those? Other than the 12 having 4 more cylinders, is it more costly to keep the V12 running condition? Reliability differences between the two? I read in one thread here that someone had tossed around (possibly) $50K for a rebuild on a V12. That's kind of terrifying...

For a first old car, consider starting modestly. Do not consider a Packard 12 - engine rebuilds do require specialist care.
You don't pin down the era too much, but I think a 120 would be a good first experience. Part availability is better too.

Be patient in the search for the right car. Took me ten years to find the car I wanted at an acceptable budget point. Yes, these cars ain't cheap. Parts for cars prior to the 120s can be difficult to find. The ones that survived have usually been take care of (hopefully). Don't sell Model A Fords short; you can get any part you need, the club support is very good, and if you want to learn on a 30's auto, that might be the way to go. Check out the Paul Shinn's videos on Youtube.

There's only two answers a prospective Packard owner needs to answer "yes" to: 1. Do you have a lot of money and 2. Can you work on cars?

Quote:

I agree. If you just want some car from that period, I'd recommend a Model A. I don't have personal experience with them, but I've heard they're pretty reliable and easy to work on. The best part is that they just made so many that there are tons of resources available. There are so many still on the road that you can buy ANY part for them, and not only that, but plenty of places sell NEW Model A parts. You read that right, NEW parts for a 90 year old car, made in the past couple decades. Supposedly people have recently built brand new Model A's from all new or NOS parts, but I can't find a link to any at the moment.

For example, there are literally 100 for sale on right now on eBay Motors alone, compared to 3 Packards for sale from the same year range (1927-33). So something to consider.

G'day wardog, to PackardInfo.

When, not if, you purchase a Packard I invite you to include it in the Packard Vehicle Registry.