EvilRufusKay Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Anybody eles notice that most of the car mags are full of useless info? I bought one last night because it said " Body and Paint Basics" Well the article was pretty basic alright. So basic that even my wife knew more than what it offered. Then I started thinking about all the other car mags I have bought. I might see a cool car on the cover but when you get to the article all it has is " This is a (insert make model) it belongs to (blah blah blah) they take it crusing on weekends , it used to be a grocery getter, blah blah, whatever!! Although this car has been tubbed, has twin turbos, subframe connectors, custom body work...rarely do they ever talk about it. One of my mags has a "10 Best Bolt Ons" article. Obviously these 10 companies are sponsors because they dont even mention how much HP you might gain, or any other advantages. They are just the best because they say they are the best!! It is like those simpleton car shows on the DIY Network where the guy pretends to work on a car for 10 seconds then has a 20 minute "best new products section"!! Whew!! OK I'm done. Thanks for listening guys!! Much better (and cheaper) than seeing a shrink!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I agree. Thats why I like shows like 'Monster Garage' and 'American Chopper' Those are more reality based, and you see them doing the work, F'ing it up, or whatever. The only mags I buy are 'buy/trade/sell' or MSA, VB type catologes. Evrything else is just full of the crap you mentioned... although there is the ocasional good looking girl leaning on a car... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Magazines (on any topic) are basically just product catalogues with some text thrown in for good measure. There are some good mags out there, but they are very few and far between!!! Have you seenhow many pages of adverts you have to flip through in some of these female mags like Cosmopolitan etc, just to ge to the table of contents .....I tsk everytime I see my wife reading them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VRJoe Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I tend to scan the articles before I buy. If it's that basic I can tell with a quick scan then put it back in the rack. - Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Magazines exist to make money. They make money by selling advertising space. They can charge more for advertising space if they have more readers. They have more readers if they pander to the lowest common denominator. Look at what's been happening to Grassroots Motorsports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 My subscription ran out a while ago. What is it "Rice roots Motorsports" now? Just a guess... Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 only mags i get are Sport Z and Sport Compact Car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest smoov280zx Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Yeah, I know. I used to buy a stack of magazines every month. After repeatedly being disappointed, the only thing i buy now is Classic Car, which costs enough, like $8, from the UK and all. But i read it just because they have great writing about cars that are actually great, and stories about the cars and races and drivers. I had to stop buying SCC, i just makes me sad looking at all those unattractive cars with 400hp. I still like to read my friend's copy for Dave's column though. Road and Track and Sport Z are on subscription, naturally . Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Zen Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Only mag I subscribe to is sports Z and sports Z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zguy95135 Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 only mags i get are Sport Z and Sport Compact Car[/i']. same here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 So, will capitalism be the death of knowledge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karay240 Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 I C this thread is dead for a while, but I have to put my $0.02 in. . . This problem seems to be getting worse and worse. I'm not even goint to try to defend "Stupid Street," or any other Primedia mags, but at least they had some cool looking cars. Now, they've become "Maxim," or "vouge." The only reason I kept buying SSC was b/c of Dave's column, and other useful (& somtimes useless but interesting info). However, it seems whoever took over Primedia has spent a lot of money on the photography by skimping on the knowledge dept. I'm pretty much done w/ mags, too. Especially now that Dave doesn't work there anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruxGNZ Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 What was it... Rod and Custom or Hot Rod, that had pretty much the whole magazine dedicated to "do it yourself" fiberglass. Really good reading. I think it was a September issue. Just a FYI. !M! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 I have a sub to SCC as well... it's slowly declining, IMO, but still has some informative articles. I like their relatively 'no bling' attitude when it comes to their own project cars... the primer black STi was a high point for them The Ultimate street car challenge is usually amusing. I like that they love old school as much as I do, they love datsuns and old toyotas. I think the editors and writers are as unhappy with the direction of the mag as we are. I remember how badly they used to rag on drifting... they HATED it, now they cover it all the time. IMO, the higher ups at Primedia are killing the mag. I will one day actually get around to ordering Sport Z... I've been meaning to for over a year. I had subs to motor trend, car and driver, road and track... I like reading about new sports cars in there, just to see what I'm gonna be up against on the streets but they all got pretty boring so I canceled, but pick up an issue whenever they cover a landmark car (any new car that's quick). All the other import rags suck really bad, except sometimes Dsport which seems to have really good info every other issue. All the hot rod/muscle mags I've picked up, on the other hand, tend to have a LOT of informative and in depth info in there, no lowest common denominator there, too bad much of the tech doesn't apply to my car There was a GREAT four part turbo article in Hot Rod I think not long ago that was very universal and informative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Of the American Hotrod Magazine "features" we normally have one issue per year with the following: CRATE MOTOR Extraviganza $600 Performance Specials How-To overhaul your SBC/SBF/SBD the first time Paint and Body Tips for the beginner Header Shoot OUT CAM basics Bore and Stroke Guide for the nooobbeeeeeee Head comparison for the SBC/SBF/SBD Fuel Injection Basics Carburator Basics Carb Vs. Fuel Shootout... And this is just the technical "Stuff" I can trace back for the last TEN years Hotrod, Carcraft, HiPo Chevy, MM&FF, and other useless mags publish year in and year out... So in summary, yes they suck, and yes they publish the same useless crap and yes... I'll keep on buying them... Don't ask why! I still get them all for the nuggets... My crapper looks like a damned magazine rack at the grocery store... yea I'm a magazine whore! Mike 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slownrusty Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Still loyal to SCC after over 10+ years and I do subscribe to SportZ. Fast4s and Rotaries from Australia ($8each) are good as well and have featured some RB, SR and 12JZ powered Datsuns over the years as well as some crazy engine swaps and wicked rotary cars. I also buy the odd Classic Car from England, if they have a good article on a car I am interested in, again pricey $10. I have a Barnes and Noble membership card, so the 10% saving is a bonus!! Yasin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest steveo Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 my biggest beef with sport compact car lately is the size. pick up an isuue from a year or two back. it was twice as thick! i can't see them takin gout ads , so i only assume its the content that is cut back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Classic Car absolutely ROCKS! I've got about a dozen issues from five or six years ago that I still leaf through from time to time. I subscribe to Car & Driver, Motor Trend, and Motorcyclist, although some of them lapse from time to time. Hot Rod, Car Craft, etc. are great if you're just starting out, but for someone who's not new to the hot rod scene, they usually don't offer much. When I do get suckered into buying a hot rod mag, I usually turn to the PAW ad pages in the back before I read any of the articles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Well, it's not just the car mags. My Scientific American, which I've subscribed to for over 25 years has progressively become more bloated with advertising, while at the same time, the articles provide less technical detail with an apparent orientation toward the Popular Mechanics crowd (not that there is anything wrong with that). Vague explanations and a lot of emotionally derived adjectives seem to be more important than specific information. It seems all periodicals are going this route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 So, will capitalism be the death of knowledge? Capitalism is merely the freedom to do business without a third party pointing a gun at your head. So, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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