1932 Packard sedan

[bdc]

Not mine

https://palmsprings.craigslist.org/cto/d/cathedral-city-1932-packard/7252373416.html

[daniel boeve]

I follow this car already long time .The paint was peeling of a few years ago .It looks like they give it a new paint and cleaned it up .It looks good now .

[alsancle]

They will get 55k about the same time I hit the lottery.   I don't play the lottery.

 

[edinmass]

Nice car........very nice. No where near market on the number.

[Guest]

Hmmm?

I know this car as well.  I inspected it a couple of years ago for a forum member.  I cannot recall the price back then.   It was sitting at the local auction house for a long time.  It didn't show too badly, in fact it was a nice looking car inside and out, for the most part but it was a non-runner which killed it for just about everyone interested. 

 If I remember correctly, they had a solid buyer at one point but there was some bad blood in the triangle of owner, buyer and auction house with threats of law suits and clearly the deal fell apart.   Pictures in craigslist ad are all taken at the auction grounds.

 

[alsancle]

In this day of ever present cameras,  I find it hard to believe pictures needed to be sources from a long ago auction.   Scam?

[Guest]

Good point.

Listing and map say Cathedral City which is right next door to Palm Springs.

I will drive by today and see if it's still at the auction house.

Edited December 26, 2020 by GregLaR (see edit history)

[Guest]

Went by the auction house. Did not see the car there.

It could be back with the seller now. The car was used as a promo and to shuttle guests at a small local (now defunct) hotel.

[daniel boeve]

4 hours ago, GregLaR said:

Went by the auction house. Did not see the car there.

It could be back with the seller now. The car was used as a promo and to shuttle guests at a small local (now defunct) hotel.

Greg , you went looking for me also a few years ago and as said didn't run , starter was no good , and also the paint was peeling off , somebody repaired the starter and then they have send me a video of a running car , but then there was so much difference between what i offered and what they wanted for the car that i forgot about  it , till it came back on the forum last week .

[JV Puleo]

On 12/26/2020 at 8:26 AM, edinmass said:

Nice car........very nice. No where near market on the number.

 

Strictly out of curiosity, what would be a realistic asking price today, presuming that it needs some mechanical work (I find it hard to imagine it doesn't). I'm not interested in it but the condition is the sort of thing I would be wanting were I in the market.

[edinmass]

I don’t want to curse or “down the car” Joe......I’ll pm you my answer. 

[Guest]

I think maybe half the current asking price.

[bdc]

39 minutes ago, Ben P. said:

 

What would it take to get it to 55?

🙃

A full restoration 

[edinmass]

34 minutes ago, bdc said:

A full restoration 

 

Glad you said it.......I was thinking along the same lines.

[m-mman]

4 hours ago, JV Puleo said:

Strictly out of curiosity, what would be a realistic asking price today, presuming that it needs some mechanical work (I find it hard to imagine it doesn't). I'm not interested in it but the condition is the sort of thing I would be wanting were I in the market.

 

I am also trying to understand the values on these Full Classic sedans.

 

This Packard seems to be "nice" but needs mechanical(?) maybe cleaning(?) The folks here say that $50,000 is way too much. 

 

Matt Harwood is offering a 31 Cad town sedan that is ready to go. Needs no mechanical (tour ready) or clean up (has recent interior) for $49,900

Steve Snyder is offering a 1930 Lincoln Judkins sedan. Again, clean and tour ready for $34,500

Both very nice, Neither looks to be a points car. 

 

The implication is that the Packard (because of its condition) is worth maybe $25,000. . . ???

Are these 3 cars comparable to understand pricing? Does the 'Packard name' bring any additional value to the table?

 

Mechanical, body and interior - Rebuilding Full Classic mechanicals is not cheap, Classic interiors are not cheap or easy to redo. On any car, paint is always expensive. Bad wood is always the kiss of death.

 

Yes when you purchase you want all three to be perfect. But if you cant find/afford a ex-Pebble car, what should a novice accept as deficits in looking for and evaluating if you want to step up into closed (non-exotic) Classic? 

 

[daniel boeve]

I looked at the other cars also and indeed when you compare them you have a much better idea how the market is .I am glad members of this board show us all this and point us in the good direction .Thanks !

 

[alsancle]

Cars are like any other collectible except worse.   If you are spending real money you need to know what you are doing.   Pricing is based on a million factors.   Also, a dealer will have a higher price because they usually need to stand behind the car,  so the buyer is getting some level of comfort you wouldn't get from an auction or private seller.

 

Does everybody understand why this is 3 times the subject car of this thread?

 

https://www.tomlaferriere.com/listings/1932-packard-904-sedan/

 

[edinmass]

The above car was the best closed car I saw offered for a year or two, priced by a dealer at a very fair price. It's an absolute fantastic car, platform, and had history. It WAS the closed Packard to buy.......it had everything. And it took a while to find a new owner. Then compare it to the car that started this thread...........It's a buyers market today. If you spend time researching cars, you can buy a fantastic car....for the same money as a "mess on wheels" (no reference to any car on this thread). Great cars are out there......it's just a lot of work finding them. For personal use..........I exclude 99.5 percent of the car I have ever laid my hands on...........Yes, I'm that picky when I buy something. Never have regretted it. 

[m-mman]

5 hours ago, alsancle said:

Also, a dealer will have a higher price because they usually need to stand behind the car,  so the buyer is getting some level of comfort you wouldn't get from an auction or private seller.

Yes, any dealer has their costs. (The original subject car was last seen in an auction environment. Not a purely private sale) 

The three mentioned here all seem to me to be  as much hobbyists as they are dealers. They understand the cars and I would trust their descriptions will be more accurate than a someone who is more focused on the balance sheet. 

[John_Mereness]

7 hours ago, alsancle said:

Cars are like any other collectible except worse.   If you are spending real money you need to know what you are doing.   Pricing is based on a million factors.   Also, a dealer will have a higher price because they usually need to stand behind the car,  so the buyer is getting some level of comfort you wouldn't get from an auction or private seller.

 

Does everybody understand why this is 3 times the subject car of this thread?

 

https://www.tomlaferriere.com/listings/1932-packard-904-sedan/

 

There seems to be huge misunderstandings about "what is a good car".  

 

As an example:  I often will use a common phrase and that is:  "There are 100 point cars and then there are 100 point cars - the two are not the same."  

 

And, 30 years after something is done you can usually find the trouble points on most anything. 

 

There was also the phrase I heard a lot as a kid and that was " buy the best example possible if restoring a car"  and now I hear find the best example possible when restoring a car and then do not restore it." 

 

The car Tom had here is a great example of the kind of car you really do want.  Baffling, that Tom sold it and then the next person is also a dealer trying to sell it too, but that is a whole other discussion. 

 

Do not get me wrong about baskets cases and ... - nothing wrong with them (and I like to take on a project to occupy my extra time), just always realize that the outstanding stuff from new is always in a far different class and will always be subject to the higher return-on-investment, probably make a better tour car, tend to have a whole different "feel" about them, and ....  

 

 

[58L-Y8]

When it comes to Packards, being at least familiar with the differences between a 902 and a 904 would be a good start...

[John_Mereness]

30 minutes ago, 58L-Y8 said:

When it comes to Packards, being at least familiar with the differences between a 902 and a 904 would be a good start...

They actually are both lovely cars in Series. 

[edinmass]

1 hour ago, 58L-Y8 said:

When it comes to Packards, being at least familiar with the differences between a 902 and a 904 would be a good start...

 

 

To be fair....unless you live these cars..........you need help when figuring out what you want to buy. I personally would only one one Packard eight platform....and NO other.........my choice is a 1932 904 ONLY. Thats what made the above sedan such a fantastic bargain. 

[John_Mereness]

15 hours ago, m-mman said:

 

I am also trying to understand the values on these Full Classic sedans.

 

This Packard seems to be "nice" but needs mechanical(?) maybe cleaning(?) The folks here say that $50,000 is way too much. 

 

Matt Harwood is offering a 31 Cad town sedan that is ready to go. Needs no mechanical (tour ready) or clean up (has recent interior) for $49,900

Steve Snyder is offering a 1930 Lincoln Judkins sedan. Again, clean and tour ready for $34,500

Both very nice, Neither looks to be a points car. 

 

The implication is that the Packard (because of its condition) is worth maybe $25,000. . . ???

Are these 3 cars comparable to understand pricing? Does the 'Packard name' bring any additional value to the table?

 

Mechanical, body and interior - Rebuilding Full Classic mechanicals is not cheap, Classic interiors are not cheap or easy to redo. On any car, paint is always expensive. Bad wood is always the kiss of death.

 

Yes when you purchase you want all three to be perfect. But if you cant find/afford a ex-Pebble car, what should a novice accept as deficits in looking for and evaluating if you want to step up into closed (non-exotic) Classic? 

 

Let's talk about that 1931 Cadillac Series 355 V-8 Town Sedan:

 

https://www.harwoodmotors.com/vehicles/inventory_details.php?id=1289

 

IT IS A TRULY LOVELY CAR !!!

 

Dad and I have had one of the best of the best (and restored it alongside a friend's that probably has been the best ever done).  

 

First:  Lets start off with the car having both AACA and CCCA award plates on it.  The AACA is from 1963, and that highly suggests to me that this was one of the best of the best prior to restoration.  Matt does not have the CCCA award plate picture, though it is on the passengers side of the cowl at beltline (few cars really ever win them - takes a great car to win one).

 

Second:  Someone has installed overdrive - a super nice feature.  And, someone seems to have figured out how to run it on an electric fuel pump - also nice. 

 

Third, Nice equipment too with the wires wheels, sidemounts, metal spare tire covers, Cadillac script Pilot Ray, and ....

 

What would I do with the car:  I would do a quick run over to my painter and have the trunk done in light grey to match the car - it would give it a touch more length in the visuals.  And, I would do a little tinkering here and there (all super easy and saw nothing of any great expense needed) and the end result would be this being perhaps a top 10 in quality as to surviving 31 closed cars. 

 

 

 

 

[John_Mereness]

15 hours ago, m-mman said:

 

I am also trying to understand the values on these Full Classic sedans.

 

This Packard seems to be "nice" but needs mechanical(?) maybe cleaning(?) The folks here say that $50,000 is way too much. 

 

Matt Harwood is offering a 31 Cad town sedan that is ready to go. Needs no mechanical (tour ready) or clean up (has recent interior) for $49,900

Steve Snyder is offering a 1930 Lincoln Judkins sedan. Again, clean and tour ready for $34,500

Both very nice, Neither looks to be a points car. 

 

The implication is that the Packard (because of its condition) is worth maybe $25,000. . . ???

Are these 3 cars comparable to understand pricing? Does the 'Packard name' bring any additional value to the table?

 

Mechanical, body and interior - Rebuilding Full Classic mechanicals is not cheap, Classic interiors are not cheap or easy to redo. On any car, paint is always expensive. Bad wood is always the kiss of death.

 

Yes when you purchase you want all three to be perfect. But if you cant find/afford a ex-Pebble car, what should a novice accept as deficits in looking for and evaluating if you want to step up into closed (non-exotic) Classic? 

 

Let's talk about that 1930 Lincoln Judkins Sedan:

 

https://www.vaultcars.com/1930-lincoln-judkins-berline

 

IT IS A TRULY LOVELY CAR TOO !!!

 

First:  It appears to be a Lincoln Club award winner and no doubts it should be.  And, there is a plate on the dash suggesting it was also shown in the mid 1960's.  Again, people did not restore junk then and it did not take too long looking at the photos to figure out the car was something that stands out far above the rest in quality.

 

Second:  You will notice the downdraft carburetor conversion - they are a super nice feature and add to driveability.

 

Third:  Nice equipment too with sidemounts and ... plus exceptionally attractive sedan from the period. 

 

What would I do with the car: I would probably find a nice luggage trunk to restore for the car (albeit the car looks fine without a trunk) and I would swing it over to my upholsterer for repair of moth damage in rear quarter (which my guess is something could be found to come close to matching wool and if not then I would have a couple yards custom woven for me). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John_Mereness]

19 minutes ago, edinmass said:

 

 

To be fair....unless you live these cars..........you need help when figuring out what you want to buy. I personally would only one one Packard eight platform....and NO other.........my choice is a 1932 904 ONLY. Thats what made the above sedan such a fantastic bargain. 

I always liked the looks of a 902 Club Sedan.