Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I am trying to get an accurate value for my 1956 Packard Caribbean hardtop that has been in the family nearly 70 years. As the story goes, my grandfather purchased the vehicle in 1956 from his uncle who owed a Packard dealership in Great Falls, Montana after learning that Packard would no longer be manufacturing more vehicles. The car has 37,000 miles and nearly everything is original. Tires, battery and a few hoses are the exception, at least that is my understanding.

The car runs but it may need carburetor work to get it running smoothly. Ever since we moved the vehicle to Utah at 4,500 feet in elevation, the engine cuts out easily if the gas pedal is pushed too much, too fast. I can't get a mechanic to touch the car so now I'm wondering if I should just sell it as is, with it running the way it is.

How do I go about getting an accurate appraisal? I plan to sell the vehicle soon. Thank you for the help!

Beautiful car. I love the '56 hardtops, and the color scheme on yours is one of my favorites.

Do you like the car? Do you want to keep it in the family? If so it probably wouldn't take much to get it running well again. How long has it been sitting for? The engine cutting out is likely a carburetor problem. The accelerator pump is probably shot. If you don't want to rebuild the two carbs, you can pull them and send them off for a rebuild. I'm sure there is someone who feels comfortable working on old cars where you are, but it won't be at a normal mechanics garage. There is probably some older shop around with guys that know how to work on carbureted cars. What part of Utah are you in?

If you do what to sell it, the fact that the car is original and low miles is a big bonus. Somebody on here may be interested, or perhaps on Hemmings. Provide as many pictures and documentation as possible. I don't have a good idea on the valuation, but the hardtops sell for less than the convertibles.

Are the headliners in the 56 Caribbean hardtops supposed to be the belt line color (Danube Blue in this case) the same way the convertibles were manufactured? Would also be interested to know the VIN plate number located inside the driver's door jam. (5697-1xxx).

Beautiful car!

Thank you. It is a beautiful car for sure.

VIN 5697-1069

I don't know the answer to your question about the headliner color. The little plaque on the door says PAINT MES TRIM 292. Does that help?

I do plan on selling the car. My grandfather gifted it to my brothers and me at his passing many years ago and we've kept it stored all this time, but are unable to keep it any longer. It is unfortunate, but it would be nice to have someone who appreciates the car to be the new owner. Someone tell Jay Leno! Though I think he already has one that's similar, maybe the convertible?

Thank you for your reply. Your car is the 69th built of the 263 total production. MES is the tri-color paint code M (Dover White), E (Danube Blue), and S (Roman Copper). 292 is the matching interior trim. We have several Caribbean Hardtop owners on this site so hopefully someone can chime in on my headliner question.

Your car appears in the Packard Club (packardclub.org) Registry beginning in 1998 in Oregon registered by D. Becklin.

As to value, the scarcity of these cars combined with originality and documentation help bring top dollar. Do you have documentation dating back to your Uncle, Grandfather, and possibly the dealership? The below website will give you an idea on the value. Hope this helps.


classiccarvalue.com


Best regards

The 1956 Caribbean hardtop is just about my favorite postwar Packard, especially after a nearly bought one many, many years ago and have regretted ever since not doing so.

More pictures are necessary for a more accurate evaluation. Especially from underneath the car (floors, rockers, wheel arcs, inside the fenders, under the carpet, the corners inside the trunk and around the pillars, door bottoms, etc.). Is the paint still OEM? Are there any modifications done to it? Check what similar cars are selling for. The car in original condition is a huge plus to the purists (although, they might be scarce these days because everyone wants a shiny "restoration")

I am currently searching for the original 56 car, myself. Although, did not even looked into the Caribbeans because they are usually outside of my 20k budget
Also, if I had a family car like this, I would definitely keep it for the future generations!

Quote:
My Caribbean HT also has the white perforated headlining and from the parts book info, it appears there was only the one stock choice on the headlining -- no matter the trim code -- and the same item was used on both the 5687 400s and the 5697 Caribbean HT.

Doesn't mean there are not different colors out there though. As has been stated in many articles, Packard would on request and with styling approval use other fabrics or paint colors on a car even if Packard had specified they were only available for use on a different model if a dealer order came in wanting a change. I'd be surprised that unless it was a really garish combo, styling approval was even necessary if it meant a sale vs not getting one.

Put another way, Packard only had so many preferred options, but in this case, substituting a matching headliner would have been little effort, so the request could be easily accommodated.

There are even cars that were made with custom door cards, and custom seat cushions, which is much more difficult. Packard actually published blueprints delineating the various options that dealers could reference for custom orders. For example, said drawing for the 56 Caribbean convertible model was MISC 4-8657.