Packard Forum Index » General

Hi Steve! Wow! I have received so much sincere, heartfelt, and insightful advice/guidance from forum members, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation. Thank you so much for adding your viewpoint.

Sadly, I've had a very sobering and reluctant "reality check" in light of the forum members' advice: I'll never own a Packard or any pre WWII because (a) I know nothing about auto mechanics, and (b) just don't have the financial resources to maintain such a car.

Since I've been a member of the forum, I have inferred from the responses and posts that most Packard owners are able to work on their own cars and/or know enough about Packards to narrow down what might be wrong with their car(s).

If something were to go wrong with a Packard I owned, I'd be up a creek without a paddle and totally dependent on finding someone to (a) diagnose the problem, and then (b) to fix it.

(Sigh). Oh well, it's still lots of fun to dream.

as always
Garrett M

You can always learn about auto repair. There are plenty of great people on here that are more than willing to share their knowledge and help in diagnosing problems and ways to fix them.

John

First, you have my admiration and appreciation for making your shop available to students with special needs to learn new skills and be intellectually/socially stimulated. So many people are too quick to dismiss students with students as not being able to learn new skills or be actively engaged in self-reward activities.

Second, my solicitation for advice/guidance about buying a Packard has both an illuminating and disheartening experience. Many of the responses pointed out many aspects of Packard ownership that never occurred to me, having both to do with mechanical knowledge and finances.

Sadly, I know absolutely nothing about auto mechanics, meaning should something go wrong with my Packard, I'd have to find a mechanic. I have come to realize that you just don't get in and go with a Packard the same way you do with modern cars. That was the biggest mistake I made in my thinking, that vintage cars can be driven the same way modern cars can.

(Sigh). It was a nice fantasy while it lasted. Thanks for your input.
as always
Garrett M

Hi Garrett

Don't give up the Packard dream yet! Widening your acceptable list to postwar models opens up possibilities like this '49 Eight two door for $9K:

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/cto/5451711583.html

The better the condition, the less likely you'll have to tinker with it too much. And when you do, you've got a whole group of helpful, knowledgeable guys here to walk you through it!

Steve

It's easy to expand your years: 36 & 37 120 (3-window) coupes are the same as 35 coupes with the exception of the 35 having suicide doors and the cubic inch on the engine in 35 is slightly less. 38 till 42 coupes are 5 window coupes, and 37 and later offer the 6 cylinder option as well of course.

About being mechanically inclined; the best way to learn is hands on. I'm not a mechanic either but over the last few years i've learned a lot by doing things myself, and last but not least Packardinfo. Without the support on this site I wouldn't be a packard owner today.

Old cars vs expenses is directly perportional to your automobile knowledge. If you know a lot about cars, you will pay less for repairs. Make sure this is not your primary car and you will have time to learn how to make any repairs you come across. Read and study the repair manual. These simpler cars are great to learn on and can help you learn to work on your more modern car. In my opinion if you are on a super tight budget you must want to learn about automobile repair, be patient and wait/save for repairs, or you may be in over your head. Post war cars are much cheaper to buy and drive than prewar.

Vehicle maintenance, service, and repair are skills that can be learned. You don't have to eat the whole elephant at one sitting. One bite at a time will do. The pre-war cars are relatively straight forward and easy to understand.

Hook-up with a local car club (it doesn't have to be a Packard club) and become involved with their activities. Members are willing to share their knowledge and look forward to "paying it forward". Most do not require that you own a vehicle to become a member.

You don't have to own a vintage vehicle to enjoy the benefits of being associated with the collector car community. Go to shows and events and engage with the ones displaying. Enjoy.

(o{}o)

You make a very sagacious observation about "Old cars vs expenses is directly perportional to your automobile knowledge," is well taken.

Unfortunately, my late father NEVER wanted to be bothered with working on his own vehicle, doing minor repairs around the house, or anything else might have required him to exert a little bit of effort on things he didn't consider that important. As such, he hired everything out. So, I wasn't raised in family where any auto mechanics were done at home. I did manage teach myself to change the oil, oil filter, and air filter in my first vehicle, and that was the alpha and omega of my knowledge of car mechanics. I think my late wife knew more about auto mechanics than me.

Over the years, I have been a sitting-duck when going in to an auto mechanic shop to have my vehicles worked on. If the mechanic told me I needed a brake-job, I said sure. If he told me I needed my transmission serviced, I said sure. I was always afraid of NOT having the work done for fear that something worse might happen later. Heaven only knows how much unnecessary work done my vehicles.

When I lived in Reno, Nevada, I got to know a few guys in the Packard group there; although, i don't think it was an official Packard Club. All those guys were affluent, often had garages devoted strictly to their Packards, and usually worked on their own cars. If not, they always had a good idea of what might be wrong with their cars so they could tell a good Packard mechanic. I often felt like country-comes-to-town when I socialized with that group.

I've pretty much thrown in the towel of ever owing a Packard after considering the advice/guidance I've gotten in these forum responses. But, you know what, that's OK. Often it's the anticipation as opposed to the acquisition of a dream that is the best part.
as always
Garrett M

When I lived in Reno, Nevada, there was a great Packard group there , although it wasn't an official Packard Club. I had occasion to go to a meeting or two and interact with a few Packard owners. Each of them usually had a garage devoted strictly to their Packards where they stored and worked on them.

I now live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and will have to do a little research to see if there is a club or group nearby. There may be a group in New Orleans.

Thank you for your response. Boy, I have gotten some great responses with extremely helpful info.
As always
Garrett M

Wow, I have been overwhelmed by the sincere and kind advice/guidance I've gotten from forum members about the reality of owning and maintaining a Packard.

Many members have pointed out considerations I had never thought of, such as having some rudimentary knowledge of auto mechanics. On the plus-side, my mother has a large building on her property that once was an auto-mechanic workshop for the property's previous owner. As such, it is spacious and has all the fixtures in place for heavy mechanic work, in addition to a kitchen area and bar . Previous owners used host big parties. So, storing a Packard and having a place to work on it is not a problem. It's a lack of knowledge and $. While the former can be addressed, the latter is much more challenging.

I'm thinking I could network through this site to find what I term an "attainable car," such as the one you provided the link. Although, I am going to have to do a lot of self-talk to get away from wanting a pre War II Packard.

Thank you so much for you response. I appreciate it.
Garrett M