1934 Packard 1100 Sedan, $31,500, Fridley MN, Not Mine….5/3 new price $27,500 and an update from owner

[Jeff Perkins / Mn]

Many more pictures on link:

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/cto/d/minneapolis-1934-packard-1100-sedan/7616592063.html

 

“Clean, Pre-War, Rust-Free Original Survivor.
Lacquer repaint in the '70s, which still looks great, other than a few notable chips.Interior completely re-upholstered in the '80s, has also held up remarkably well.  Straight 8 currently has cylinder head removed for inspection and likely head gasket replacement. Car was on the road as recently as 2019. 
Car needs to go to make room for other projects, but willing to wait for the right buyer. 
If you're a tire kicker, I have plenty of used tires I'm happy to deliver to your home. 
If you're interested at this price, contact Tim.”

 

 “ UPDATE: I attempted to manually turn engine over and couldn't get it to budge. I don't think it's locked up entirely, but more attention would be needed from buyer. I have dropped the price substantially in light of this.”

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Jeff Perkins / Mn (see edit history)

[Fossil]

Now that was a nice find. Taking the head off just to have a peak inside kind of concerns me. 

 

 

[billorn]

Taking the head off and then saying "Welp Im done guess I'll sell it as is" is alot more concerning. What did he find inside? Nothing good I bet.

[Fossil]

9 minutes ago, billorn said:

What did he find inside? Nothing good I bet.

Or he didn't find what was making the noise and decided to give up. 

[cjmarzoli]

Those baby blue wheels would have to go.   Does anyone have a good handle on what this car is worth as it sits and what it would be worth turn key and running?

[Jeff Perkins / Mn]

Waiting for @John Bloom to weigh in on this one

[Steve_Mack_CT]

I like 34s a lot, but an open one is above my pay grade, so I do kind of follow the sedans.  I think he is at the buy price (assuming an ask around $35k, or 34 for a 34..) for a running car needing usual TLC.

 

Smarter folks on these like John or @TexRiv_63 will weigh in for sure.

 

Head off for inspection is going to turn off more than one prospective buyer for sure.  But the overall car looks pretty good for a tour car especially.  1100 was base 34 but every inch a Full Classic, and you get that 34 face... 

 

[John Bloom]

21 minutes ago, Jeff Perkins / Mn said:

Waiting for @John Bloom to weigh in on this one

Well, I will share my thoughts. The first thing is without seeing it in person I would keep my hands in my pockets. If you were interested, spend the money for a round-trip plane ticket and a rental car for the day and go check it out. From the pictures it looks like the body and bright work and interior are nice enough for it to be a driver you could be proud of.  This series of Packards  are highly desirable because they are beautiful cars, but this is the 1100, the very bottom of the pecking order of the Packard bodies on this platform.   Additionally, as a sedan, it should also be the most affordable. I think if the engine was all put together and the car drove well, this is a $50,000 car. I have certainly seen a lot of similar ones around that price point.

 

you can speculate why the guys had it a few years, what provoked him to take the head off, and why he’s selling it now without it put back together and running. I won’t make any conclusions about that, but you better consider the worst case scenarios if you’re going to be the buyer. What kind of skills do you have?  
 

if you’ve always wanted one of these, perhaps you take a calculated gamble. Hope for the best, but have the time,  money and mindset to deal with it if the engine needs to come out and a total rebuild is part of the process.

 

if you always wanted one of these, it looks interesting enough to me that I might go check it out in person and then make your decision with some first-hand experience and how you will handle the unknown engine issue. 

I’d like it a whole lot better with that head back on the engine and you could check out the car and drive it around. But if that was the case at this price, the car would be gone in 24 hours I’m sure.

[John Bloom]

After posting I just read Steve‘s comments and he caused me to rethink this. His thoughts on value might be more accurate. Let me rephrase and say I see people asking 50 for this car but maybe it would change hands a little lower than that as Steve suggests.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

John, if it was a club sedan (always better but awseome in 33, 34) it would likely go over 60 for a driver, right? 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Hillarious we are posting at same time! I was thinking 25, 30% bump for a clubbie. 😁😁

Edited May 2, 2023 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)

[George Smolinski]

3 minutes ago, John Bloom said:

if you’ve always wanted one of these, perhaps you take a calculated gamble. Hope for the best, but have the time,  money and mindset to deal with it if the engine needs to come out and a total rebuild is part of the process.

I agree with hope for the best, but not at this price. I don't know Packards, but I do know I wouldn't spend $30+K on a pig in a poke, which is what this car is as it sits. What would an engine rebuild on this run? Maybe deduct that from the ask & it's a fair deal.

[billorn]

6 minutes ago, George Smolinski said:

I agree with hope for the best, but not at this price. I don't know Packards, but I do know I wouldn't spend $30+K on a pig in a poke, which is what this car is as it sits. What would an engine rebuild on this run? Maybe deduct that from the ask & it's a fair deal.

From what Ive seen in other comments here on this forum $31500 pretty much IS the price of an engine rebuild.

[cjmarzoli]

In doing some research of auction results on classic.com, (see link below)  it seems '34 sedans, turn key and driving are selling for between roughly 34k and 42k in the past couple years.  An identical 1100 sedan but more appealing and in better colors sold at the Hershey auction last fall for around $41k, and it was turn key and running and had spare tire covers.   How much should be deducted for the non running situation is the question.  Without it running not much can be verified and it leaves many unknowns.    Does anyone know if the front seats on these cars adjust and how adequate legroom is for people over 6 feet?

 

https://www.classic.com/m/packard/eight/year-1934/

[John Bloom]

33 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

John, if it was a club sedan (always better but awseome in 33, 34) it would likely go over 60 for a driver, right? 

Yes, Club sedan a little higher, coupe a lot higher, open car...... bring a big bag of money.

 

 But man are those coupes sexy !

Edited May 2, 2023 by John Bloom (see edit history)

[daniel boeve]

I would say the one who took of the head can put it back on also .Would that be a big job to put the head back on ? As a buyer i would go over to the seller and i guess in a good days work the head is back on and you can start the engine and see and hear what happens .I would even use the old gasket just to try it and later swap it with a new one .Just my idea ..

[TexRiv_63]

1 hour ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

I like 34s a lot, but an open one is above my pay grade, so I do kind of follow the sedans.  I think he is at the buy price (assuming an ask around $35k, or 34 for a 34..) for a running car needing usual TLC.

 

Smarter folks on these like John or @TexRiv_63 will weigh in for sure.

 

Head off for inspection is going to turn off more than one prospective buyer for sure.  But the overall car looks pretty good for a tour car especially.  1100 was base 34 but every inch a Full Classic, and you get that 34 face... 

 

It is a nice looking car in and out and the interior is well done but not sure if the material or details are correct. I see a non-original amp gauge and don't see the metal spare covers, and those horrible wheels could easily be repainted. I would be really bothered by the head off situation and also by the seller's shitty attitude, he would need to supply a whole lot more information and even then if I couldn't run and drive I would probably walk away. Pricewise, I sold my almost identical but completely original, running and driving car for $32,900 back in 2015, I have no clue what that means today.

[BucketofBolts]

Pick me up at the LAX airport in this vehicle and drop me off at the local Russian spa near the airport. Did not STALIN have one of these models in the later 1930s when the USSR purchased some things from the Packard Company? 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

1 hour ago, TexRiv_63 said:

Pricewise, I sold my almost identical but completely original, running and driving car for $32,900 back in 2015, I have no clue what that means today.

I think for the prewar Packard market things are not that radically different 8 years on.  This is the gold standard for 1100 sedans for touring, you sorted it quite a bit Tex!  This car, and the one owned by @Owen_Dyneto were the first to come to mind. 

A ratty one up my way has been languishing in the mid 20s for a year or so, running but looks like a bit of a cosmetic mess.  Tom Laferriere has had a few come and go as well.  

 

A bit different but I drove a 33 Super 8 club sedan a long time ago that had under 50,000 miles and had never been restored.  A really awesome car but couldn't swing it at the time.  It's worth more now I am sure.   I think it's still lurking here in Southern New England...

Edited May 2, 2023 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)

[Steve_Mack_CT]

@John Bloom speaking of sexy 34 Packard coupes here is one (the car, not the driver, but he ain't so bad either...😁) from a million years ago, still on the net.  1100 standard 8, this was a nice unrestored car, part of Tom's personal collection for a while.  

 

 

[John Bloom]

41 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

@John Bloom speaking of sexy 34 Packard coupes here is one (the car, not the driver, but he ain't so bad either...😁) from a million years ago, still on the net.  1100 standard 8, this was a nice unrestored car, part of Tom's personal collection for a while.  

 

 

Steve, you are quite "The Man About Town", behind the wheel of that coupe!  Tom really seems to have some great stuff come and go at his shop over the years.  I've never met him but have followed his listings through the year.  I'm sure it was comfortable getting your Packard Convertible through him vice strangers.  

 

The word on the street is that the lady riding shotgun says you are sexier than a 34 Packard Dietrich Coupe!

 

 

[John Bloom]

The Ad has been updated. The seller now says He attempted but was unsuccessful getting the engine to turn, and he has dropped the price to 27,500.

 

 

[cjmarzoli]

7 minutes ago, John Bloom said:

The Ad has been updated. The seller now says He attempted but was unsuccessful getting the engine to turn, and he has dropped the price to 27,500.

 

 

Should turn real easy with the head off.  Not a good sign.  Don't think the 4k price drop would cover the *potential* costs of correcting a locked up engine.   Think engine overheated at some point and seized?  Just sitting inside for a few years with the head off should not bind it up.

[edinmass]

Simple math………the car is worth 15-20 percent on the dollar if it was running. Sad, but true. Also, unless you have connections getting pistons in less than 9 months is not likely. I would figure a bad block before I made an offer. I always work the numbers backwards and then adjust for an additional pad………that motor can get expensive quickly……and add in the time delay………makes a sale almost impossible unless someone is sitting on a good core or take out engine.

 

Take a good look at the underside of the head…..sure looks cooked to me.

Edited May 3, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history)

[John Bloom]

2 minutes ago, edinmass said:

Simple math………the car is worth 15-20 percent on the dollar if it was running. Sad, but true. Also, unless you have connections getting pistons in less than 9 months is not likely. I would figure a bad block before I made an offer. I always work the numbers backwards and then adjust for an additional pad………that motor can get expensive quickly……and add in the time delay………makes a sale almost impossible unless someone is sitting on a good core or take out engine.

If it was a coupe, or open car (still standard 8...........but the 1101), someone might take the project on because that 320 isn't too rare, I see them periodically.  but to go through all the trouble, time and money for a 1100 sedan makes it seem like quite a chore to find someone to take it on.  

[TAKerry]

Hence the sale of the car. Ed, you think too logically, LOL. One is supposed to go in blindly, look at a cool old car and imagine themselves driving down the road, plop the asking price on the table and walk away happy. Until reality sets in.

[JACK M]

I have a Hemi and a four speed under the bench..........

[bob duffer]

I contacted the owner via Craigslist an here is his reply:

 

The short story is the car belongs to my dad and dementia means he can't work on it anymore.  I was with him and the car just today and attempted to turn it over with a socket attached to the manual crank.  It was running before the head came off.  I rode in the car in 2019.  It was towed to where you see it pictured about a year ago.  What my dad says is that it got hot but did not overheat.  I do not think it needs a total rebuild, and there is no reason the transmission would.  

 

It's a beautiful car that's been the pride of his collection, but it's time for someone else to tinker with it.  

 

I've only posted it on craigslist and recently sold a Studebaker he owned that way.  People seem to find cars like this if they want them.  If you want to inspect it more closely, I'll need to know you're serious.  

 

Thanks, 

 

Tim

[TAKerry]

Im the guy that I wrote about in my previous post. It looks like a decent car to me, and 5 years ago I may have been inclined to buy, but now I know better, LOL. Not that I am in the market, but, If I were serious, I would want to get in, start it up and take a test drive for the buy in price. 

[32Cad]

I have a '34 motor mostly complete, if needed, to help get this Packard on the road. If you're mechanically inclined, a '34 Packard in the $20k range is a bargain.

Better than my Cadillacs.

Motor is in Allentown, PA.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

I think the seller sounds like someone a buyer could work with.  It would be a shame to let a relatively recent driving 34 Packard deteriorate into junk.  A replacement engine would be great, better if original could eventually be rebuilt. 

[wayne sheldon]

Frankly? If I were in the market for something like this in this sort of situation? I would not want someone putting it back together and getting it running so that I could test drive it. But that is me. The fact is that it is too easy to close up a badly cracked block, tighten up rods with Babbitt beginning to crumble, or sealing any of a dozen chamber leaks just well enough to sound and feel good.

I would much prefer to examine it very closely myself, get a real feeling for how good or bad the block appears to be (ANY car could actually have an engine block ready to split in half!). Then decide to risk it or not. If I decided to take the chance, I could dig a little deeper and fix it better than I would expect anyone trying to dump a car (whatever the reason?) would likely have done.

 

The "Any car-cracked block" comment? A very long time ago, I did buy and begin restoring a model A Ford. Before I decided they were just a bit too new for me. I got a bargain buy on a decent original model A. The previous owner had had a minor accident with it, and wanted to get rid of the damaged one after buying a nicer replacement. It just so happened that I had most of the parts needed to repair the accident damage, so for the bargain price I drove the damaged car home. That was one of the sweetest running model A Fords I ever heard! It performed quite well. However, when I took the engine apart? I found a crack in the block running the full length of one cylinder, across the top surface, down through the valve port and through the chamber. That block was almost literally ready to split into two big pieces! But it sure ran nice!

[Cadillac Fan]

Hyman was asking $48k for this.  
 

https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/6665-1934-packard-1100-sedan/

 

 

I think the owner had it advertised for $41k before Hyman purchased it.  
 

 

Edited May 4, 2023 by Cadillac Fan (see edit history)

[34LaSalleClubSedan]

Hi, if anyone is in need of 4 wire wheels that would fit 1933-1936 Packard's, I have a set for only $400.00

Edited May 4, 2023 by 34LaSalleClubSedan (see edit history)

[edinmass]

27 minutes ago, 34LaSalleClubSedan said:

Hi, if anyone is in need of 4 wire wheels that would fit 1933-1936 Packard's, I have a set for only $400.00

 

8 or 12?

[TexRiv_63]

Someone will buy this car, it will not wind up in boneyard.  That Hyman car is pretty but is very inaccurate and over-restored, especially inside.

[edinmass]

6 hours ago, Cadillac Fan said:

Hyman was asking $48k for this.  
 

https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/6665-1934-packard-1100-sedan/

 

 

I think the owner had it advertised for $41k before Hyman purchased it.  
 

 

 

 

That is a lot of car for the money..........can't go wrong with that.

[TAKerry]

Dont know Hyman co. other than looking at their cars at Hershey. If I was playing in that sandbox I would def look at what they have. Seems to be quality stuff they have.

[34LaSalleClubSedan]

1 hour ago, edinmass said:

 

8 or 12?

Eight