What Car Magazines Do You Read?

  • Thread starter Thread starter GT & F
  • 55 comments
  • 1,764 views
Speed is the only mag I read regularly. It's a Road and Track publication and they do a good job.

As for the big names like C and D and MT I stay away. I think they are horribly biased towards their advertisers. Wanna know who wins the comparo? Just flip to the ad index and see who spend the most dollars.

Import mags are garbage. I'm sorry but I wouldn't wipe my butt with them. They degrade women and have no real car content. Plus the few articles they do have are just pubecent dribble. It really is embarrasing to think the next generation of car guys are like this. The import scene is garbage. It's too bad too because they have some great cars.
 
subscribe to:
Car and Driver (12 years)
Sport Compact Car
Top Gear

I think we can all agree on those 3. But dissapointed in SCC for revamping its staff. Also, Brock Yates RETIRED! Two issues without him, its just not the same...
 
IMADreamer
Speed is the only mag I read regularly. It's a Road and Track publication and they do a good job.

As for the big names like C and D and MT I stay away. I think they are horribly biased towards their advertisers. Wanna know who wins the comparo? Just flip to the ad index and see who spend the most dollars.

Import mags are garbage. I'm sorry but I wouldn't wipe my butt with them. They degrade women and have no real car content. Plus the few articles they do have are just pubecent dribble. It really is embarrasing to think the next generation of car guys are like this. The import scene is garbage. It's too bad too because they have some great cars.

As for C&D, they've denied it so many times, it's not funny... everybody advertises in C&D... and with all the Nissan ads in every single issue, it's surprising, isn't it, when you hardly see any Nissans win comparos eh?

A local writer I know wrote about this... even they get accused of pandering from time to time. Oh sure, car companies throw lots of stuff their way, to get an article or two in, but at the end of the day, they'll still tell you what they like or don't like about a car.

One factor is familiarity. The more comfortable you are with the car, the higher you'll rate it. If a manufacturer sends you a car over a dozen times a year, and it's a very nice car, you'll be more inclined to write nice things about it. It's up to the manufacturer to make sure the car is nice, though.

And what's interesting in C&D are the long term surveys of car owners who actually agree with them about those particular cars. Gripes there are, but likes there are, too.

-----

Not all import mags are garbage. Sport Compact Car has quite a bit of tech articles in it (they went off on a ridiculous tangent a while back, but they're getting back to the good stuff), as does Turbo and High Tech Performance. Yes, many of the rest are pure garbage, but there are still some true and honest car guys writing for mags in that field. Don't dismiss them all out of hand.

@RogueSsv: Max Power is one of these stupid import mags... British mag. Worst bodykits in the world... period... gappy fiberglass, poor proportions, wavy lines and poor panel fitment on many of the "showcars" they feature... and, oh, yeah... there's always a strip-tease at the end.

-----

As for degrading women? Look in a Lowrider mag lately? Heck... some good ole' Hotrod and Hog mags have some topless action going, too. Sad for me, as I'm starting to see more skin at carshows than cars (that's why I skipped the last big one here)... it's not just the Import Scene / Lowrider Scene anymore, even the manufacturers are in on it. Tasteless, tacky, and... ooooh... she's pretty... :dopey:
 
Ooh... ugly cars and stripteasing. Sounds like a great magazine :rolleyes:. If I want to see that Ill go to the internet.
Seems like the 'Pimpin' idea is growing on even the legit people. Sigh... what did you expect? Armaggeddeon is coming anyway.
 
IMADreamer
Speed is the only mag I read regularly. It's a Road and Track publication and they do a good job.

As for the big names like C and D and MT I stay away. I think they are horribly biased towards their advertisers. Wanna know who wins the comparo? Just flip to the ad index and see who spend the most dollars.

Import mags are garbage. I'm sorry but I wouldn't wipe my butt with them. They degrade women and have no real car content. Plus the few articles they do have are just pubecent dribble. It really is embarrasing to think the next generation of car guys are like this. The import scene is garbage. It's too bad too because they have some great cars.
Very true. Then they interview the owners who tend to spout off how great their street racing "career" is. The only time I read them is at book stores and when they have a car like the NSX.

I've only bought 1 Import Magazine and that was when it featured the SOS NSX.👍
 
Well, I think every auto mag has some level of bias involved in their reviews, but often times it is there for good measure. The BMW 3-Series obviously wins comparisons and awards because it is just that damn good, and the same can be said of the Honda Accord, Chevrolet Corvette, etc.

I would consider Car and Driver to be one of the least-biased auto magazines in the United States, as the award for the opposite would go to Motor Trend and their love for all-things Honda.
 
Here's the mags I read: Car and Driver, Road & Track, Automobile, Motor Trend. I'd love a Top Gear subscription, but it'd cost 50 freaking dollars to ship it here!!
I love all the different views from each mag, especially the differences in theirtest numbers. It gives a lot of different points to judge a car by.
YSSMAN, I would totally agree with you on the bias of those two mags. Also, C&D has the most comic relief in their articles, which makes it even more addicting to read. I picked up my first C&D, MT, and R&T 6 years ago in '99, and got ahold of Automobile 2 years ago, and I love certain aspects of all four. I wouldn't be able to pick one to drop the subscription. I've tried. :lol:
 
Rogue Ssv
Armaggeddeon is coming anyway.
Hmmm...I thought Car and & Driver would have a spy photo of Armageddon, but they merely found an old town in Isreal. I have a subscrption to C&D, and pick up a copy of Road & Track every so often to get nostalgic, but that's about it.

If I can find Autosport or AutoWeek in bookstores, I'll read it. But it's hard to find at times, never mind they're usually totally drowned out by all these "specialty" import car magazines that have a writing staff of skilled elementary school drop-outs.
 
I read EVO and Top Gear. But EVO is pretty hard to find here, so I end up reading TG more.
 
Subscribe
Autocar
Evo
Motor Industry (trade mag)
Racecar Engineering

Buy when worth it
Autosport
Top Gear
Road & Track
Car & Driver


Regards

Scaff
 
I read the GR8. Well, it aint GR8 no more cus it fused with AUTOMAXXX.. They mostly talk about tuned Japanese cars, I have some awesome NSX wallpapers woohoo :D
 
Scaff
Subscribe
Autocar
Evo
Motor Industry (trade mag)
Racecar Engineering

Buy when worth it
Autosport
Top Gear
Road & Track
Car & Driver


Regards

Scaff

Do they still produce Racecar Engineering? - i never see it anywhere these days, it's a really good read too.
 
TheCracker
Do they still produce Racecar Engineering? - i never see it anywhere these days, it's a really good read too.

They do indeed, I've got a subscription, but I have seen it in my local Borders. Apart from that it is a major pain to try and find (hence the subscription), and its still a damn good read.

I can dig out the subscription details if you're interested (IIRC its about £45 a year).

Regards

Scaff
 
Bilsport. It's quite good, although lately it's been a lot of questionably modificated cars featured in it.
 
Slick Rick
I read a magazine called Banzai!
It totally dedicated to Japanese cars only, its brilliant
I have one copy of Banzai, I absolutley love it. And they make fun of ricers! :D


Encyclopedia
Bilsport. It's quite good, although lately it's been a lot of questionably modificated cars featured in it.
Oh man, I used to read it and my friend used to buy it. It's gone from racing to teh ultimate ricer magazine. It's sad....:yuck: It was a great mag, but not as good as before.
 
I only ever read two car magazines:

Grassroots Motorsports - the best car magazine in America, evar. In fact I just signed up for a 10-year subscription renewal. The magazine by car people, for car people, and on a reasonable budget. I'm just not a sycophantic supercar-drooler since I know I'll never own one. I'd much rather a car magazine that offers tips on buying a 15-year-old E30 and turning it into a trackday beast (myself) for under $10k.

evo - I buy this one at the bookstore occasionally, if I need a fix of sycophantic supercar-drooling.

Other than that I don't really read any of the popular titles unless I see one in the library and I'm interested in a particular car.
 
Cosmic
Oh man, I used to read it and my friend used to buy it. It's gone from racing to teh ultimate ricer magazine. It's sad....:yuck: It was a great mag, but not as good as before.

And they even got a specialized magazine called street extreme for all the rice, and still put in lots of rice in their ordinary mag. I just don't get it.
 
Encyclopedia
And they even got a specialized magazine called street extreme for all the rice, and still put in lots of rice in their ordinary mag. I just don't get it.
That's right, just to satisfy those ricers they made them their own little magazine. And I don't either get it that yet they call the magazine
Bilsport when it's very little motorsports in the magazine (usually in the back pages 👎 ) and the rest is a mix of rice and tuning things.
Oh well, they'll learn with time. :dunce:
 
Only one kind of mag for me, High performance Import!!!!!! All Japanese cars, as well as local cars, that are doing well, Gets on the latest Gossip on whats happing in japan.
Another is Drift Battle, made by same guys who make HPI.
Only in Australia!!!!!
 
Cosmic
I have one copy of Banzai, I absolutley love it. And they make fun of ricers! :D

Niicee!!👍
I thought i was the only one who read it. Its not sold everywhere tho which is a problem sometimes if it gets sold out at my local newsagents
 
It sucks trying to find a copy of Banzai... some really nice cars and setups in there... no, not rice... but real, honest to god, raw sushi... and fast sushi at that. :lol: I'd almost forgotten about it! I don't get it regularly, but when I find one, I snap it up right away.

Duke
evo - I buy this one at the bookstore occasionally, if I need a fix of sycophantic supercar-drooling.

Automotive porn. Worth the hefty cover price. I've got a few copies sitting by my toilet for... uh... personal reading.
 
Rogue Ssv
I read Road&Track, Car&Driver, MOTOR TREND, Automobile, Roundel (bmwcca mag) regualrly
occasionlay also DUB, AutoWeek, Rides, Modified L&E, Super Street, Import Car ,Hot Rod, Muscle Car, and anything else worth reading. And if Im lucky enough to get my hands on it a European magazine like CAR or TopGear.
I bet Im the only 12 year old who does that. ;)

You're 12? Really?! :rolleyes:

I'm subscribed to AutoExpress, and i haven't read anything else in ages (other than on the 'net)

I made this thread a few months ago, just off topic ;)
 
Top Gear mostly, but if I see an interesting cover or imported magazine, I often buy them too.
 
Back