1935Packard

Good question, Speedster. I think it depends on whether the car you are buying usually sells at auctions. If so, then that is the value. If not, then the auction prices may be "off" of the usual market prices. My 2 cents, anyway.

If you're not sure of the market yourself, you might consider hiring a professional consultant/appraiser to take a look at the car and answer these questions. It might cost you $1,000 to have a pro go look at the car and write up an appraisal and assessment, but that's a very small fraction of the value of the car, especially if it's a convertible victoria. Plus, a pro can identify needed repairs and issues that could easily run you $5,000 each if the car has problems (assuming you're not in a position to do a lot of work on the car yourself). Just a thought.

<span style="font-style: italic"> you can just open the hood and put the positive charger clip on a head bolt or other suitable ground and the negative on the battery cable end at the starter motor (assuming the battery is correctly installed with the (+) terminal to ground),</span> You know, I've never thought of that -- that's a good idea. (I've ended up driving my Packard at night relatively often, and the Halogen headlight bulbs that were put in to increase visibility at night draw a ton of power and tend to drain the battery over time. So this will be pretty helpful.)

When I go to a show, I personally prefer seeing a survivor to seeing a perfectly restored car. Any car can be restored to perfection if you have enough time and/or money, but a car that has a nice patina to it is hard to copy. There's a guy who brings some old cadillacs to a show I go to occasionally, and he sometimes brings a perfectly restored 1930 v16 roadster and sometimes an original unrestored 1932 v8 roadster. The v16 is dazzling, but I greatly prefer to see the v8.

Nice, thanks for posting.

<span style="font-style: italic">I'm willing to pay extra for a well sorted car then go cheap and find yourself in a hole you never will get out of. </span> Smart, very very smart. As for brass cars, I think they're popular because they're just so different. Once your average car collector is collecting cars because they are a trip through history rather than what he remembers as a kid, brass-era cars become pretty desirable: A 40s car draws questions, but a 10s car is a real curiosity.

"Skinned Knuckes" looks terrific -- thanks for the reference. I plan to subscribe.

Oh, I'm fine with the posts here -- interesting thread.

This 1939 Packard promotional video is pretty interesting. It's mostly about the retooling of the Packard plant in the late 1930s, and the new technologies Packard was introducing at the time. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

I'd never heard of the buyback option. Is that common at auctions? That's certainly annoying for the buyer.

I'd never heard of the buyback option. Is that common at auctions? That's certainly annoying for the buyer.

It's totally up to you all, but let me suggest that we collectively chill out here. This is a message board for lovers of a wonderful classic car, and there's no need for any one to get sarcastic, upset, or otherwise worked up about anything. Just my 2 cents.

It's totally up to you all, but let me suggest that we collectively chill out here. This is a message board for lovers of a wonderful classic car, and there's no need for any one to get sarcastic, upset, or otherwise worked up about anything. Just my 2 cents.

<span style="font-style: italic"> I gambled on the car being as represented and bought it.</span> I don't know if you've done into detail on this, but did you buy it sight unseen?

<span style="font-style: italic"> I gambled on the car being as represented and bought it.</span> I don't know if you've done into detail on this, but did you buy it sight unseen?

Fun article. As it happens, that dealership was the one that sold my Packard (23 years later). The New York Times recently had a very interesting story about that Packard dealership and the other car dealerships along Broadway back in those days: You can read that Times story here. . Interesting to read that 1913 story in light of the 2006 piece on the context.

Fun article. As it happens, that dealership was the one that sold my Packard (23 years later). The New York Times recently had a very interesting story about that Packard dealership and the other car dealerships along Broadway back in those days: You can read that Times story here. . Interesting to read that 1913 story in light of the 2006 piece on the context.

Ouch. Well, look on the bright side; if these cars hadn't been "improved," they might have been sent to the crusher. You can always "un-improve" a car, but it's hard to "un-crush" them.

I was very happy with the car I bought from Hyman's; it was an unusual consignment sale, and I got a good deal on a very solid car and was happy with the situation. But I think my situation was somewhat unusual; I check out their website from time to time for their wonderful pictures, and it seems that their prices tend to average about 25% over what I think of as market prices. I agree that it's a good deal for the right buyer, as you'll get a solid car if you don't mind overpaying some. For those who have more money than time or aren't very knowledgeable, it's a pretty good deal, as this hobby can be really rough on those who fit that bill. For the rest of us, hey, we can visit the website to look at the nice pictures.

I bought a car from Hyman's about 6 years ago, and that that time they were trying to make the transition from selling mostly cars in the $15k-$30k range (the range of what I bought) to selling mostly cars in the $50k+ range. They made that transition pretty successfully, it seems! I think their market advantage is (a) having so many contacts that they can find out about cars coming for sale and grab good deals early and ( having enough cars in the same warehouse that high $$$ collectors can go to them knowing they'll have a few cars of interest on site that can be seen at the same time.

Bravo to you for putting in all that time (or being willing to pay for it!). Great story, and yes, one that many of us have either been through or will. As for your comment, "Who knows, maybe restoration will soon be 'The In Thing!'", I think there may be some truth to that. In 2039, having a stock 100 year-old Packard will be remarkable. Having a car that is part 1939 Packard and part lots of other later cars won't be quite so remarkable.

Matt Harwood writes: "I disagree. I think that when stocks and the market starts to tank, people with money they want to park somewhere safe look to tangible assets: art, real estate, and yes, cars." Well, I think people with money realize that none of these are safe places to park money. The art market has booms and dramatic busts, and the real estate market is dropping rapidly. With the exception of a few specific boom times, none of these tangible assets have been reliable investments over time. Better to go with the stock market, over time.

In (modest) defense of the CCCA, my understanding is that the club was formed when no one was interested in the 1925-1948 cars. They were just used cars, not antiques. From the club website history: ************************ The year was 1951. Owners of Packards, Cadillacs and the like - vintage late 1920's to early 1930's - found to their chagrin, upon arriving at old car meets, that they were not eligible to participate because the vehicles they were driving were "too modern." The Antique Automobile Club of America, the nation's oldest organization in the hobby, had relegated the enthusiasts' chosen wheels to Class 19, designated "Tow Cars." Since these vehicles were, to their minds more properly defined by the term "Classic", a new organization seemed called for. ************************

I think it's a pretty good bet that the souring economy will dampen the rising market in collector car prices. The one exception may be cars with a lot of appeal to foreign buyers: If the dollar stays low, those cars will continue to be unusually cheap for foreign buyers and prices in dollars will remain high. That's my guess, at least.

Here's a somewhat related question: Any tips on how to clean a 1935 Packard steering wheel? The steering wheel has dirt caked on over decades of use, and I'd like to clean it up. Any do's or don'ts for the job?