Ahhh those Colony Parks were fabulous. Neighbors across the street had one and I'll never understand why my dad didn't being as we had a few trailers for the many camping trips we did.. 3 kids and a dog all in the back seat , you'd think.
your Teenage lust cars...
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My mom's friend Sue got a brand new Mercury Colony Park in early Fall, 1972. It was a light green color.
My mom, sister and I went with her and her daughter Nancy to St. Louis in it in early Oct. that year. It had dual-facing rear seats, and I sat in one part of the trip.
It was a very luxurious vehicle compared to ours, which was a '67 Pontiac Tempest.
My mom, sister and I went with her and her daughter Nancy to St. Louis in it in early Oct. that year. It had dual-facing rear seats, and I sat in one part of the trip.
It was a very luxurious vehicle compared to ours, which was a '67 Pontiac Tempest.
The 1948--1950 Packard was the car I wanted most as a teenager, and I got it.
When I was a young kid, my folks had a 1950 Chevrolet sedan, and our good family friend had a Packard. There was such a difference between those two cars, and I loved sitting in the back of that Packard and bringing down the center arm rest. The ride was smooth, of course, because it was a heavy car. It just felt rich!
When I was 17, in 1964, I saw a for sale sign in a 1948 Packard Custom 8 in the parking lot of the Mennonite Church in Bakersfield, California, where I lived. I inquired: It had 36,000 miles, had originally belonged to Victoria Trask in Pasadena, $400. I bought it, had it for a few years during college and early married life.
Though the design of these cars was ridiculed as a "bathtub," I loved the design, the green florescent characters on the faux wood grained dashboard, the way it started: turn the ignition key, and fully step on the accelerator, the ample head and leg room, the manual overdrive transmission, the plush mohair carpeting and wool (I think) upholstery. Everything worked except the Electromatic clutch, a forerunner to automatic transmissions. The color was called Midnight Blue, but it always looked black to me. The interior: a tasteful tufted tan with a darker accent. It turned heads.
But, having a car that is no longer made, and could be a collector's item is a rich man's hobby. And, in 1970, after a friend ran into it and dented the front fender, I sold it to a man who was reputed to be the local bookie in San Luis Obispo for $1000.
I still love to see Packards and still like large cars. Currently I drive a 1998 Lexus LS 400, and it is a superb car, but I have a hankering for a newer Lexus, the maybe 460 L Executive model.
When I was a young kid, my folks had a 1950 Chevrolet sedan, and our good family friend had a Packard. There was such a difference between those two cars, and I loved sitting in the back of that Packard and bringing down the center arm rest. The ride was smooth, of course, because it was a heavy car. It just felt rich!
When I was 17, in 1964, I saw a for sale sign in a 1948 Packard Custom 8 in the parking lot of the Mennonite Church in Bakersfield, California, where I lived. I inquired: It had 36,000 miles, had originally belonged to Victoria Trask in Pasadena, $400. I bought it, had it for a few years during college and early married life.
Though the design of these cars was ridiculed as a "bathtub," I loved the design, the green florescent characters on the faux wood grained dashboard, the way it started: turn the ignition key, and fully step on the accelerator, the ample head and leg room, the manual overdrive transmission, the plush mohair carpeting and wool (I think) upholstery. Everything worked except the Electromatic clutch, a forerunner to automatic transmissions. The color was called Midnight Blue, but it always looked black to me. The interior: a tasteful tufted tan with a darker accent. It turned heads.
But, having a car that is no longer made, and could be a collector's item is a rich man's hobby. And, in 1970, after a friend ran into it and dented the front fender, I sold it to a man who was reputed to be the local bookie in San Luis Obispo for $1000.
I still love to see Packards and still like large cars. Currently I drive a 1998 Lexus LS 400, and it is a superb car, but I have a hankering for a newer Lexus, the maybe 460 L Executive model.
George, when my parents were married in 1948 their best man and matron of honor owned a 1948 Packard just like the one in your photo. They loaned their Packard to my parents to take on their honeymoon to Guerneville, where the stayed at the Surrey Inn, which was across the road from what later became Fifes Resort, but was Murphy’s Guest Ranch in 1948.
I rode in that Packard many times as a small child, since the owners were good friends of my family. They finally traded the Packard for a 1961 Chrysler New Yorker in 61’, which was a beautiful car too, but it didn’t hold a candle to the 48’ Packard.
Eddie
[this post was last edited: 2/5/2020-14:05]
I rode in that Packard many times as a small child, since the owners were good friends of my family. They finally traded the Packard for a 1961 Chrysler New Yorker in 61’, which was a beautiful car too, but it didn’t hold a candle to the 48’ Packard.
Eddie
[this post was last edited: 2/5/2020-14:05]
Eddie,
Thanks so much for your response to my post about the Packard. I have read your thoughtful posts many times--and always enjoy them.
George
Thanks so much for your response to my post about the Packard. I have read your thoughtful posts many times--and always enjoy them.
George
George, I had a close call with a '49 Packard in the early '70s when I, too was around 17 or so.
Mr. & Mrs. Hoyt, managers of the apartment building at Telegraph & Bancroft in Berkeley where my sister lived, had a black sedan and it was parked in a single space under the 1904 building, way in back and down a super narrow driveway. The Packard barely fit in the space or within the walls lining the driveway.
I expressed interest in it when I heard that they were looking for a replacement vehicle. They were emphatic about not wishing the car on anyone, particularly a kid like me, due to the troubles they had had with it. That was that. I'm sure my dad would have given me the same advice, but I was into big old cars. I'll never know if anything was seriously wrong with that car or if the issues it had were things I could fix myself. I suppose in hindsight I likely dodged a bullet, but it's interesting what could have been -- you unloading your Packard at around the same time I was going to take one on.
I have no doubt about why you liked that car so much. A man of your size needs ample head and leg room, and the Packard certainly delivered in that regard. And I'll bet anything that the interior had that sort of musty mohair smell so typical of cars from the '40s and earlier.
Mr. & Mrs. Hoyt, managers of the apartment building at Telegraph & Bancroft in Berkeley where my sister lived, had a black sedan and it was parked in a single space under the 1904 building, way in back and down a super narrow driveway. The Packard barely fit in the space or within the walls lining the driveway.
I expressed interest in it when I heard that they were looking for a replacement vehicle. They were emphatic about not wishing the car on anyone, particularly a kid like me, due to the troubles they had had with it. That was that. I'm sure my dad would have given me the same advice, but I was into big old cars. I'll never know if anything was seriously wrong with that car or if the issues it had were things I could fix myself. I suppose in hindsight I likely dodged a bullet, but it's interesting what could have been -- you unloading your Packard at around the same time I was going to take one on.
I have no doubt about why you liked that car so much. A man of your size needs ample head and leg room, and the Packard certainly delivered in that regard. And I'll bet anything that the interior had that sort of musty mohair smell so typical of cars from the '40s and earlier.
I enjoyed reading your reminiscence, Ralph.
My Packard did have one problem that worried me at the time. A tie rod, part of the front suspension, actually broke! My father was able to find an old Packard at a wrecking yard, and he got the tie rod, which I had a mechanic install. But, other than that odd occurrence, and its poor performance in the rain (it leaked water from I don't know where, and the vacuum operated windshield wipers lost power when accelerating) it was pretty trouble free. I drove it for 50,000 miles.
Oh, even the electrically wound clock worked!
This is the exact color and interior my car had.
My Packard did have one problem that worried me at the time. A tie rod, part of the front suspension, actually broke! My father was able to find an old Packard at a wrecking yard, and he got the tie rod, which I had a mechanic install. But, other than that odd occurrence, and its poor performance in the rain (it leaked water from I don't know where, and the vacuum operated windshield wipers lost power when accelerating) it was pretty trouble free. I drove it for 50,000 miles.
Oh, even the electrically wound clock worked!
This is the exact color and interior my car had.
OMG George, that photo of the interior of a 48’ Packard sure brings back memories! BTW, this was just how Bud and Clara’s Packard interior looked too.
One afternoon when I was about 5 or 6 years old I, my brother and Bud and Clara’s son and daughter were left sitting in the Packard outside The Silver Dollar on San Pablo Ave. in Richmond, Calif, the bar that Bud and Clara owned, waiting for our parents to return. I was in the back seat playing with the cigarette lighter, and I foolishly placed it up to my mouth, thinking since it wasn’t glowing red, it wasn’t hot. Wrong! I burnt the hell out of my upper lip.
And I didn’t get much sympathy when the adults returned. I was told I shoulda known better and shouldn’t have been playing around with the lighter anyway, 1950’s parenting, LOL.
And it just so happens that this afternoon I received an email from Hemmings Classic Cars for an auction of a 48’ Packard Convertible. I’ve attached the link for the photos.
Eddie
https://www.hemmings.com/classified...ekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020-02-05
[this post was last edited: 2/5/2020-17:42]
One afternoon when I was about 5 or 6 years old I, my brother and Bud and Clara’s son and daughter were left sitting in the Packard outside The Silver Dollar on San Pablo Ave. in Richmond, Calif, the bar that Bud and Clara owned, waiting for our parents to return. I was in the back seat playing with the cigarette lighter, and I foolishly placed it up to my mouth, thinking since it wasn’t glowing red, it wasn’t hot. Wrong! I burnt the hell out of my upper lip.
And I didn’t get much sympathy when the adults returned. I was told I shoulda known better and shouldn’t have been playing around with the lighter anyway, 1950’s parenting, LOL.
And it just so happens that this afternoon I received an email from Hemmings Classic Cars for an auction of a 48’ Packard Convertible. I’ve attached the link for the photos.
Eddie
https://www.hemmings.com/classified...ekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020-02-05
[this post was last edited: 2/5/2020-17:42]
I love the fatal Rebel Without a Cause door handle in that '48!
justjunque
Well-known member
As a certifiable car nut as a youth, I had too many dream cars to mention.
And, like many of you, I always liked big cars.
Some that stand out in my mind were the '71-'73 boat-tail Buick Rivieras, just about any Cadillac, Lincolns, big Fords and Mercurys. I wanted a '69 Chrysler Newport in a bad way for a long time.
All through my youth, my dad had Chevies. '65 and '71 Impalas in the earlier days, and later, Caprices. A '79, followed by an '82; which was the last car he ever owned.
I liked all of them.
One of my teenage dream cars that became a reality was the mid '70s Monte Carlos.
My first one was a lime green 1976 that was being sold "for parts or repair".
I think I paid $400 for it. I had enough stuff fixed to make it driveable, and I was literally living the dream!
Some years later, I bought a '75 in considerably better condition, although still far from perfect.
That one was very dark metallic blue with a white landau top and white vinyl swivel bucket seats.
My third and final Monte Carlo, which I owned in the mid 80s, was an orange metallic 1977 with chamois colored landau top and chamois colored cloth seats. My first car with cloth seats!
They were bench seats, but had individual reclining seat backs.
In my old age, I've become less able to take care of my cars like I used to, so I've lost most of the passion. Now, my cars just get me from point A to point B.
My last attempt at rekindling the passion was when I bought a used '94 Buick Roadmaster sedan. First year for the Corvette derived LT-1 motor.
Beautiful car, and wonderful to drive; especially on the highway.
But, I didn't keep it up like I should have, and I ended up parking it in the driveway, where it's been sitting and deteriorating for several years now. It's really a shame, and I'm not proud of myself.
And, I still own the last car from the tail end of my youth.
A 1986 Pontiac Grand Prix, with the 2+2 package. I let that sit for almost twenty years. But, unlike the Roadmaster, the Pontiac was in a garage, so it wasn't exposed to the elements. The sitting still did damage though.
Just this past summer, I had it towed to my mechanic and got it running and driving again.
So, I got to drive it for the first time in almost twenty years.
I thought it would be like going back in time.
Alas, I absolutely hated driving it. Granted, the fact that all four tires are flat-spotted and cause the car to shake constantly while driving is a big part of the problem.
But, just the overall experience was such a disappointment. At least the car still looks decent, and it's a rare car. So, hopefully, I'll be able to sell it instead of letting another one sit and decay.
Wow. Sorry for the novel. Y'all got my car feels going!
Barry
And, like many of you, I always liked big cars.
Some that stand out in my mind were the '71-'73 boat-tail Buick Rivieras, just about any Cadillac, Lincolns, big Fords and Mercurys. I wanted a '69 Chrysler Newport in a bad way for a long time.
All through my youth, my dad had Chevies. '65 and '71 Impalas in the earlier days, and later, Caprices. A '79, followed by an '82; which was the last car he ever owned.
I liked all of them.
One of my teenage dream cars that became a reality was the mid '70s Monte Carlos.
My first one was a lime green 1976 that was being sold "for parts or repair".
I think I paid $400 for it. I had enough stuff fixed to make it driveable, and I was literally living the dream!
Some years later, I bought a '75 in considerably better condition, although still far from perfect.
That one was very dark metallic blue with a white landau top and white vinyl swivel bucket seats.
My third and final Monte Carlo, which I owned in the mid 80s, was an orange metallic 1977 with chamois colored landau top and chamois colored cloth seats. My first car with cloth seats!
They were bench seats, but had individual reclining seat backs.
In my old age, I've become less able to take care of my cars like I used to, so I've lost most of the passion. Now, my cars just get me from point A to point B.
My last attempt at rekindling the passion was when I bought a used '94 Buick Roadmaster sedan. First year for the Corvette derived LT-1 motor.
Beautiful car, and wonderful to drive; especially on the highway.
But, I didn't keep it up like I should have, and I ended up parking it in the driveway, where it's been sitting and deteriorating for several years now. It's really a shame, and I'm not proud of myself.
And, I still own the last car from the tail end of my youth.
A 1986 Pontiac Grand Prix, with the 2+2 package. I let that sit for almost twenty years. But, unlike the Roadmaster, the Pontiac was in a garage, so it wasn't exposed to the elements. The sitting still did damage though.
Just this past summer, I had it towed to my mechanic and got it running and driving again.
So, I got to drive it for the first time in almost twenty years.
I thought it would be like going back in time.
Alas, I absolutely hated driving it. Granted, the fact that all four tires are flat-spotted and cause the car to shake constantly while driving is a big part of the problem.
But, just the overall experience was such a disappointment. At least the car still looks decent, and it's a rare car. So, hopefully, I'll be able to sell it instead of letting another one sit and decay.
Wow. Sorry for the novel. Y'all got my car feels going!
Barry
warmsecondrinse
Well-known member
Any of the big boats from the 60's to the start of downsizing work for me. Pretty much anything Chrysler would be first, followed by 59-64 Caddy, then Lincoln, other GM and Ford last. I learned to drive in a 74 Olds Custom Cruiser. That became my first car and I did manage to lose something in the back seat ;-) One friend had a 62 Olds Dynamic 88 and another a 74 Bonneville. I was the ONLY non-family member to drive either car bec the owners saw how comfortable I was with my own big boat.
Always had a weakness for Citroen... Go figure
Third generation (1994-2001) BMW 7-series iL. Something about those lines on the long-wheelbase version get my juices flowing. Standard length doesn't do it for me. It's been suggested that the trunk being slightly higher than the hood might have something to do with my visceral response ;-)
Favorite car I owned:
93 Grand Cherokee with a 318 V8 and fully automatic Quadra-Trac. Put 135K miles on it and never had a problem. Drove and road like a dream and unstoppable in the snow.
I've been happy with my Cubes so at this point my dream car would be a Japan-only AWD Nissan Cube Hybrid. IIRC small gas engine in front drives the front wheels and an electric in the back drives the back wheels.
Sounds lame, I know but at this point in my life I need something high enough for me to get in and out of pain-free, AWD, good gas mileage, and easy to park in Manhattan.
Always had a weakness for Citroen... Go figure
Third generation (1994-2001) BMW 7-series iL. Something about those lines on the long-wheelbase version get my juices flowing. Standard length doesn't do it for me. It's been suggested that the trunk being slightly higher than the hood might have something to do with my visceral response ;-)
Favorite car I owned:
93 Grand Cherokee with a 318 V8 and fully automatic Quadra-Trac. Put 135K miles on it and never had a problem. Drove and road like a dream and unstoppable in the snow.
I've been happy with my Cubes so at this point my dream car would be a Japan-only AWD Nissan Cube Hybrid. IIRC small gas engine in front drives the front wheels and an electric in the back drives the back wheels.
Sounds lame, I know but at this point in my life I need something high enough for me to get in and out of pain-free, AWD, good gas mileage, and easy to park in Manhattan.
I must say, one of my teenage lust cars was a 1987 Volkswagen Scirocco 16V in tornado red. That was a sexy car!
Forgot how a few family friends and even a couple family members drove one of these and their counter stablemates and other incarnates of their corporate ilk, yes I wish my first car could have been a Chevy Vega:
— Dave
en.m.wikipedia.org
— Dave
Chevrolet Vega - Wikipedia
vacerator
Well-known member
Mercury Marquis/Colony Park; Vega;
Poor man's Lincoln they used to say! The big Lincoln was still unibody in 1969. Moved to body on frame for 1970. Thunderbird followed same for 1972. All Lincolns and T-Birds were built at the Wixom plant. Well, as for the Vega, for $1,995.00 in 1971, I guess you hot what you paid for. The engine wasn't sleeved, and burned oil after about 20,000 miles. The cast iron Pontiac "Iron Duke" block fixed that by 1975. Then GM phased out the old H body cars by 1980 for the T car "Chevette". The Chevy Monza became the Cavalier, and with the B.O.P. H bodies, the Sunbird, Starfire, and Skyhawk moved to the new f.w.d. J platform for 1982.
Poor man's Lincoln they used to say! The big Lincoln was still unibody in 1969. Moved to body on frame for 1970. Thunderbird followed same for 1972. All Lincolns and T-Birds were built at the Wixom plant. Well, as for the Vega, for $1,995.00 in 1971, I guess you hot what you paid for. The engine wasn't sleeved, and burned oil after about 20,000 miles. The cast iron Pontiac "Iron Duke" block fixed that by 1975. Then GM phased out the old H body cars by 1980 for the T car "Chevette". The Chevy Monza became the Cavalier, and with the B.O.P. H bodies, the Sunbird, Starfire, and Skyhawk moved to the new f.w.d. J platform for 1982.
My friend Jay's first car was a butterscotch colored Vega wagon. I think he said it was a '71, but he got it in '74. He didn't like it very much; said it didn't do well going up hills.
firedome
Well-known member
this:
found one my Sr year for cheap (this was in the '60s) but Dad wouldn't let me get it:
found one my Sr year for cheap (this was in the '60s) but Dad wouldn't let me get it:
Dad must be cheap
Roger,, you don't have any "Hair" relatives around those parts do you.. My dad did the same and was cheap as all get out. He/we had plenty of "Hair" relatives on his mothers side in the Binghampton / Scranton region, lol
Roger,, you don't have any "Hair" relatives around those parts do you.. My dad did the same and was cheap as all get out. He/we had plenty of "Hair" relatives on his mothers side in the Binghampton / Scranton region, lol
The bigger, the better
1927-1931 Ford Model A Town Sedan
1959 Cadillac 6 window Sedan De Ville/Series 75 Limo
1961 Cadillac Fleetwood/Series 75 Limo
1965 Chrysler New Yorker
1966 Plymouth Satellite
1967 Plymouth GTX
1975-1979 Lincoln Continental Sedan
1927-1931 Ford Model A Town Sedan
1959 Cadillac 6 window Sedan De Ville/Series 75 Limo
1961 Cadillac Fleetwood/Series 75 Limo
1965 Chrysler New Yorker
1966 Plymouth Satellite
1967 Plymouth GTX
1975-1979 Lincoln Continental Sedan
vacerator
Well-known member
One of each please!
Also a Citroen DS, or SM, CX, or XM. That's why Citroen! A GM 70's A or B body V8, preferably with an Olds engine. Same vintage Gran Torino, Mustang, Cougar, or T-Bird. Etc., etc.
Also a Citroen DS, or SM, CX, or XM. That's why Citroen! A GM 70's A or B body V8, preferably with an Olds engine. Same vintage Gran Torino, Mustang, Cougar, or T-Bird. Etc., etc.
firedome
Well-known member
Pete-
no, we lived in and I grew up and lived in Baltimore for almost 50 years. But Dad
was definitely cheap, as he had to be with 4 kids on a salesman's salary. Also not a car enthusiast at all, we always had used Ford wagons, to him a car was for getting A to B, he didn't understand my car lust! We had this exact car!
no, we lived in and I grew up and lived in Baltimore for almost 50 years. But Dad
was definitely cheap, as he had to be with 4 kids on a salesman's salary. Also not a car enthusiast at all, we always had used Ford wagons, to him a car was for getting A to B, he didn't understand my car lust! We had this exact car!
