Do magazines still matter? How do you get your car news and info?

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Do magazines still matter? 

How do you get your car news and info? 

[Fred]

Magazines definitely still matter to me. I get heaps of info on line but a magazine is something you can fall back on any time without switching on the pc.
And I think that nothing beats a magazine for a good picture of a car. 

[TUFCAT]

"Mopar Only" magazines don't interest me right now. I like to read feature articles on all muscle cars.

In fact, my last "Mopar Only" magazine was Mopar Collector's Guide. I cancelled them nearly two years ago....and never looked back.

I'm sure I've missed some great content because its a great magazine (ask Rob Wolf). J/K.

My two current favorities are "Hemmings Muscle Machines" and "Muscle Car Review" which I can't live without.

[Budnicks]

I still like to get the occasional magazine, but I see 90% of my material online now, I don't subscribe to any at this time save at least $120 a year, I still buy 1, if I see a good cover or article online or in the news stand & want it in print or know someone in the issue or something...

[Ghoste]

I still read a bunch every month.

[Cooter]

Randy Bolig just commented on this very thing in MM mag. this month. Talking bout how they are "A changin' with the times" and such. I'd just be happy if after 4 years of asking for a pic of my sh*t at Carlisle (Afterall, we had John Schneider this year!?!?), in the mag. Oh well, I stil lread it for the "Articles".

[Mike DC]

           
I still read car mags for the same reason that I still read some mainstream political stuff.  It keeps your exposure more balanced than if you only read exactly what you seek out.   

[Daytona R/T SE]

Until recently, I got about 10 magazines mailed to my house every month.

I've decided to let most of them expire.

The ones I will NOT be renewing are:

Hot Rod... LS-WHAT?

Hemmings Muscle Machines... I really don't care about your grandpa's Buick.

Auto Round-Up (a bi-weekly classifieds magazine) I've never bought anything out of it in 20 years.

Rod and custom...Neat old cars...but 90% have a 350 Chevy in them.

Playboy...Pamela Anderson, again?  Really?  That's just NASTY!

EasyRiders... Born to be mild.

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Magazines I used to get, included Auto Round-up, as they used to always have a ton of old Mopars. Not so much, anymore... I probably haven't subscribed since 1998...


Anyways, Over the past 25+ years, I have subscribed to (or received) the following:

America's Sports Car
Auto Enthusiast
Automobile
Auto Round-up
Autoweek
Car and Driver
Car Craft
Corvette Enthusiast
Corvette Fever
Corvette Quarterly
GM and High Tech
Hemmings
Hot Rod
Mopar Action
Mopar Collectors Guide
Mopar Muscle
Motor Trend
Muscle Car Review
Road & Track
Turbo (later became Turbo and High Tech Perf.)
Vette



Ones in red, I still receive...   About 3 years ago, I canned the rest   ..or they went out of circulation

[rt green]

sometimes i have to eat lunch in my car at work. i always have a mopar mag on hand. a laptop would be to distracting with the internet.

[Brads70]

Seems to me they are really streching to find something new/fresh to write about. I only get one magazine these days( had to cut back) ...after all need something to read in the bathroom?

[bajaherbie]

i buy a few magazines every so often, the internet is for porn.....

[TexasStroker]

I ended my subscription to Hot Rod bc I honestly didn't want to throw them away and I didn't like the stack getting bigger, lol.  The vas majority of mags are owned by the same parent company and thus you'll see the same car, with a slightly different feature in most of them...I also got burned out on it primarily being the high-end builds where vendors just give parts to be in the write-up.  I prefer the grass roots guy that has to pick between buying a wiring harness or rechroming a bumper.  Both are great cars, but the grass roots car will almost always have a better story with it...imo anyway.

I honestly prefer forums, but I will still buy a mag off the newsstand from time-to-time.  I am trying to save money or I would likely have a subscription to a stand-alone Mopar mag.

I actually plan to feature said grass roots cars on my own, haha...not sure anyone much will read, but I enjoy it, and it will mean something to the owner!

[tan top]

use to get  car craft / camero craft      & hot rod !!  but stopped getting them  when   mopar muscle  , mopar action & hp mopar came out   

stopped  Mopar action &  muscle mucscle   about this time last year i think , or the year before , forget now !! but   no magazines any more for me  !!

[B5charger]

I don't subscribe anymore either.  Love B/E-bodies as much as the next guy but am sick of seeing 100K cars all the time.  I will pick up a mag (usually Muscle Car Review) if there's something interesting in it.  Also need to keep the toilet reading rack stocked...

[HPP]

Seems to me they are really streching to find something new/fresh to write about. I only get one magazine these days( had to cut back) ...after all need something to read in the bathroom?

BINGO!  This is exactly why magazines will exist for sometime to come. You really don't want to mess with a laptop on the toilet, nor can you stick it in your back pocket to take with you to wherever. God forbid in our electronic society that we ever loose power for an extended period of time. People will go friggin nuts.

Funny thing is over the last 50 years, there really aren't any new topics in any of the magazines. Only different ways of approaching the topic and new views of what is cool. I recall a vintage late 50s issue of Hot Rod I used to have where tech articles included things like are 150 mph dragsters too fast for the sport, how to super tune your 283 chevy, porting nail head buicks for power, and of course several obligatory eye candy articles on tricked out cars with wide whites, tuck and roll, and chrome wheels.

[Musicman]

I like mag's for the vendor info. etc, but when it comes to actually helping folks with anything, I find that most of them are full of shit… Regurgitating manufactures product misinformation is not what I consider to be helpful or responsible behavior… I’ll just leave it at that.

The only one I'm receiving at the moment is MCG...

[bull]

Seems to me they are really streching to find something new/fresh to write about. I only get one magazine these days( had to cut back) ...after all need something to read in the bathroom?

BINGO!  This is exactly why magazines will exist for sometime to come. You really don't want to mess with a laptop on the toilet, nor can you stick it in your back pocket to take with you to wherever. God forbid in our electronic society that we ever loose power for an extended period of time. People will go friggin nuts.

I've never understood the concept of sitting on the can for 20 minutes with my pants down and a soiled a$$ reading a magazine amid the stench of yeserday's lunch. Why not just wipe your butt and go sit on the couch to read it?

[nvrbdn]

i still do 2 car mags and 2 camping mags. trailer life is a good magazine for my style of camping.(yes i call this camping). gotta have my magazines. mabey they dont have alot of great stuff in them any more, but hot rod for 9 bucks a year and mopar muscle for 16 bucks a year. gives me a couple minutes of enjoyment every month lookin at the pics.hopefully my 25 bucks a year can help keep a US job for some guy or gal 

[bajaherbie]

what is the best mopar magazine to buy? 

[tan top]

I don't subscribe anymore either.  Love B/E-bodies as much as the next guy but am sick of seeing 100K cars all the time.  I will pick up a mag (usually Muscle Car Review) if there's something interesting in it.  Also need to keep the toilet reading rack stocked...

Seems to me they are really streching to find something new/fresh to write about. I only get one magazine these days( had to cut back) ...after all need something to read in the bathroom?

BINGO!  This is exactly why magazines will exist for sometime to come. You really don't want to mess with a laptop on the toilet, nor can you stick it in your back pocket to take with you to wherever. God forbid in our electronic society that we ever loose power for an extended period of time. People will go friggin nuts.

Funny thing is over the last 50 years, there really aren't any new topics in any of the magazines. Only different ways of approaching the topic and new views of what is cool. I recall a vintage late 50s issue of Hot Rod I used to have where tech articles included things like are 150 mph dragsters too fast for the sport, how to super tune your 283 chevy, porting nail head buicks for power, and of course several obligatory eye candy articles on tricked out cars with wide whites, tuck and roll, and chrome wheels.

still got over 22 years worth  of mopars mags  saved for that reason !!  bathroom reading !!  !!

[Fred]

I don't subscribe anymore either.  Love B/E-bodies as much as the next guy but am sick of seeing 100K cars all the time.  I will pick up a mag (usually Muscle Car Review) if there's something interesting in it.  Also need to keep the toilet reading rack stocked...

Seems to me they are really streching to find something new/fresh to write about. I only get one magazine these days( had to cut back) ...after all need something to read in the bathroom?

BINGO!  This is exactly why magazines will exist for sometime to come. You really don't want to mess with a laptop on the toilet, nor can you stick it in your back pocket to take with you to wherever. God forbid in our electronic society that we ever loose power for an extended period of time. People will go friggin nuts.

Funny thing is over the last 50 years, there really aren't any new topics in any of the magazines. Only different ways of approaching the topic and new views of what is cool. I recall a vintage late 50s issue of Hot Rod I used to have where tech articles included things like are 150 mph dragsters too fast for the sport, how to super tune your 283 chevy, porting nail head buicks for power, and of course several obligatory eye candy articles on tricked out cars with wide whites, tuck and roll, and chrome wheels.

still got over 22 years worth  of mopars mags  saved for that reason !!  bathroom reading !!  !!

WELL.......... it will be a while before we see you again!   

[1970Moparmann]

I fly a good amount, so I save the mags for the ride.

Mopar Collectors Guide
Hot Rod

I cut back a few years ago.

[tan top]

I don't subscribe anymore either.  Love B/E-bodies as much as the next guy but am sick of seeing 100K cars all the time.  I will pick up a mag (usually Muscle Car Review) if there's something interesting in it.  Also need to keep the toilet reading rack stocked...

Seems to me they are really streching to find something new/fresh to write about. I only get one magazine these days( had to cut back) ...after all need something to read in the bathroom?

BINGO!  This is exactly why magazines will exist for sometime to come. You really don't want to mess with a laptop on the toilet, nor can you stick it in your back pocket to take with you to wherever. God forbid in our electronic society that we ever loose power for an extended period of time. People will go friggin nuts.

Funny thing is over the last 50 years, there really aren't any new topics in any of the magazines. Only different ways of approaching the topic and new views of what is cool. I recall a vintage late 50s issue of Hot Rod I used to have where tech articles included things like are 150 mph dragsters too fast for the sport, how to super tune your 283 chevy, porting nail head buicks for power, and of course several obligatory eye candy articles on tricked out cars with wide whites, tuck and roll, and chrome wheels.

still got over 22 years worth  of mopars mags  saved for that reason !!  bathroom reading !!  !!

WELL.......... it will be a while before we see you again!   

       
  thing is i have/had forgotten a lot of stuff that was in the 88 -92ish mags !! so its intresting reading   
i could be sometime   

[Fred]

I don't subscribe anymore either.  Love B/E-bodies as much as the next guy but am sick of seeing 100K cars all the time.  I will pick up a mag (usually Muscle Car Review) if there's something interesting in it.  Also need to keep the toilet reading rack stocked...

Seems to me they are really streching to find something new/fresh to write about. I only get one magazine these days( had to cut back) ...after all need something to read in the bathroom?

BINGO!  This is exactly why magazines will exist for sometime to come. You really don't want to mess with a laptop on the toilet, nor can you stick it in your back pocket to take with you to wherever. God forbid in our electronic society that we ever loose power for an extended period of time. People will go friggin nuts.

Funny thing is over the last 50 years, there really aren't any new topics in any of the magazines. Only different ways of approaching the topic and new views of what is cool. I recall a vintage late 50s issue of Hot Rod I used to have where tech articles included things like are 150 mph dragsters too fast for the sport, how to super tune your 283 chevy, porting nail head buicks for power, and of course several obligatory eye candy articles on tricked out cars with wide whites, tuck and roll, and chrome wheels.

still got over 22 years worth  of mopars mags  saved for that reason !!  bathroom reading !!  !!

WELL.......... it will be a while before we see you again!   

       
  thing is i have/had forgotten a lot of stuff that was in the 88 -92ish mags !! so its intresting reading   
i could be sometime   

Well I won't hold my breath..............then again maybe I should if you're sitting on the can 

[Brass]

I enjoy flipping through especially when I'm winding down, on the bus, or flying.  I would like one Mopar mag and one general one.  Right now I'm subscribed to "Hemmings Muscle Machines" because its a good mix.  I thought about getting "Mopar Collector Guide" but I already hate seeing these things stack up so fast and I have other things to read.  Then I forget which ones I want to save and which ones should go.  I could recycle them but that seems wasteful for some reason; so I'm currently swimming in them.

[nvrbdn]

what is the best mopar magazine to buy? 

mopar collectors guide is good for advertising, but parts tend to be a bit pricey. they have good car coverage, but mopar action does as well. i like mopar action, but heard they could go under so i settled for mopar muscle. thats my look at the mopar mag's. mabey im misinformed about mopar action but havent shopped for it in some time so i dont know.

[bill440rt]

I subscribe to MCG, Mopar Action, & Mopar Muscle.
I like MCG for the ads/classifieds & latest hobby news, although I could do without the political & celebrity stuff in seemingly every issue.
I like Mopar Action for the tech articles, reference restos, & humor.
Mopar Muscle is hit or miss.
If I need something else specific there's always the internet.

I LIKE to still get magazines. I look forward to every issue. Besides, I need something to read in the bathroom. 

[tan top]

I don't subscribe anymore either.  Love B/E-bodies as much as the next guy but am sick of seeing 100K cars all the time.  I will pick up a mag (usually Muscle Car Review) if there's something interesting in it.  Also need to keep the toilet reading rack stocked...

Seems to me they are really streching to find something new/fresh to write about. I only get one magazine these days( had to cut back) ...after all need something to read in the bathroom?

BINGO!  This is exactly why magazines will exist for sometime to come. You really don't want to mess with a laptop on the toilet, nor can you stick it in your back pocket to take with you to wherever. God forbid in our electronic society that we ever loose power for an extended period of time. People will go friggin nuts.

Funny thing is over the last 50 years, there really aren't any new topics in any of the magazines. Only different ways of approaching the topic and new views of what is cool. I recall a vintage late 50s issue of Hot Rod I used to have where tech articles included things like are 150 mph dragsters too fast for the sport, how to super tune your 283 chevy, porting nail head buicks for power, and of course several obligatory eye candy articles on tricked out cars with wide whites, tuck and roll, and chrome wheels.

still got over 22 years worth  of mopars mags  saved for that reason !!  bathroom reading !!  !!

WELL.......... it will be a while before we see you again!   

       
  thing is i have/had forgotten a lot of stuff that was in the 88 -92ish mags !! so its intresting reading   
i could be sometime   

Well I won't hold my breath..............then again maybe I should if you're sitting on the can 

[HPP]

I've never understood the concept of sitting on the can for 20 minutes with my pants down and a soiled a$$ reading a magazine amid the stench of yeserday's lunch. Why not just wipe your butt and go sit on the couch to read it?

Well, I can't vouch for your toiletry habits, but I enver said anything about extended stays in the stink to simply read a mag. Go, do your business, leave. If you can browse a few ads while doing it, cool.

For mags I get the big 3, Hot Rod, Car Craft, PHR. I like cars in general enough to find all of these interesting. Yeah there is a lot of chevy specific junk in them all, but sometimes you can learn a new trick or two by reading about competitors issues. For Mopar specific mags, I only get Mopar Muscle. I'll occasionally pick up a Mopar Action if they have an article I really like, but over all I don't care for their editorial content, car choices.  I've had all the mopar ones at one time or another and tire of them all occasionalyl as well, but i do tend topick up Mopar Muscle for a couple years every so often.

Remember the way back days when there was High Performance Mopar and Chrysler Power on top of MA and MM and MCG.

[Fred]

Seems to me they are really streching to find something new/fresh to write about. I only get one magazine these days( had to cut back) ...after all need something to read in the bathroom?

BINGO!  This is exactly why magazines will exist for sometime to come. You really don't want to mess with a laptop on the toilet, nor can you stick it in your back pocket to take with you to wherever. God forbid in our electronic society that we ever loose power for an extended period of time. People will go friggin nuts.

I've never understood the concept of sitting on the can for 20 minutes with my pants down and a soiled a$$ reading a magazine amid the stench of yeserday's lunch. Why not just wipe your butt and go sit on the couch to read it?

Boy did you hit the nail on the head!............make the pitstop as short as you can and enjoy the mags in comfort  (and in the breathable air) of your living room instead.

[mysil bergsprekken]

Until recently, I got about 10 magazines mailed to my house every month.

I've decided to let most of them expire.

The ones I will NOT be renewing are:

Hot Rod... LS-WHAT?

Hemmings Muscle Machines... I really don't care about your grandpa's Buick.

Auto Round-Up (a bi-weekly classifieds magazine) I've never bought anything out of it in 20 years.

Rod and custom...Neat old cars...but 90% have a 350 Chevy in them.

Playboy...Pamela Anderson, again?  Really?  That's just NASTY!

EasyRiders... Born to be mild.

hehe, that is a nice summary of what the magazines contains. I hear you on all of it

[1970Moparmann]

Seems to me they are really streching to find something new/fresh to write about. I only get one magazine these days( had to cut back) ...after all need something to read in the bathroom?

BINGO!  This is exactly why magazines will exist for sometime to come. You really don't want to mess with a laptop on the toilet, nor can you stick it in your back pocket to take with you to wherever. God forbid in our electronic society that we ever loose power for an extended period of time. People will go friggin nuts.

I've never understood the concept of sitting on the can for 20 minutes with my pants down and a soiled a$$ reading a magazine amid the stench of yeserday's lunch. Why not just wipe your butt and go sit on the couch to read it?

Boy did you hit the nail on the head!............make the pitstop as short as you can and enjoy the mags in comfort  (and in the breathable air) of your living room instead.

Do you have any kids?  There's always a reason to escape....

[greenpigs]

Hot Roid - better than it was a few years ago.
Chevy Craft - pure crap & not getting renewed. It feels like a coupon book, hardly anything in it & I predict it will fold within 2 years

I used to get Mopar Action religiously, but cut back as they just don't have enough to get my money.

More articles on everyday cars you see at the local cruise in, not mega buck restorations EVERY issue. Those are helpful at times but more meat & potato rides is what I like.

[Mike DC]

 
I like Hot Rod these days because they cover offbeat car ideas that don't fit into an existing genre. 

"Popular Hot Rodding" has some good tech.  But their feature cars haven't creatively changed in 15 years.

[rt green]

i was reading a mopar mag i got back in '89. the tech articles were better. they had an article on how to get a 904 trans to live at the strip. you just don't see that kind of helpful stuff these days without 3/4 of what your working on ending up being aftermarket. this article said what years of a certain part to look for and such.
it was basically walking you through how to build a bullet proof trans out of junkyard and one or two aftermarket parts[ with part numbers to order] and most importantly why they were doing it that way.
i found it again- it was high perf mopar  jan '89.  you just don't see 'how to' articles like that anymore. times are tough. money is tight. you want us to buy your mag? make it worth it. 

[HPP]

ii found it again- it was high perf mopar  jan '89. 

I used to get them and yes, they had great tech. I suppose that was the problem with them that as the market turned to trailer queens and over restored cars through the 90s, their subscription numbers dropped and they couldn't make the mag anymore.

[Kern Dog]

I like the magazines that I still get. At one time, I was getting Hot Rod, Car Craft, Hemmings muscle machines, Mopar Collectors guide, Mopar Muscle and my all time favorite, Mopar Action. I let all run out except the last 2. Nothing replaces the smile when I open the mailbox to find the magazine in there.

[greenpigs]

I got my last issue of Car Craft yesterday....another LS swap, who would have guessed?

It did have a Duster with a supercharged /6 so they are not as bad as I implied, but still to little to late.

If I ever do subscribe again it will be the on line version. It may sound gay but I like trees!

[HPP]

Thats's interesting My latest issue of Car Craft has a fox bodied turbo Ford and a 5.7 Hemi swap in to a Duster. I didn't see any LS swaps, but I did see the supercharged /6.

Really though, do you expect the proliferation of LS articles to be any less than they the build a 500 horse small block chevy articles of the past? They (chevys) still consititute 50% of the hot rodding world, like it or not.

[RallyeMike]

Hot Roid - better than it was a few years ago.

Ya. I subscribed starting at 15 for 20 years, and quit when the "fastest street car" stuff went apeshit. Got really tired of that. Then when Gray Baskerville passed away, I had to drop it      I just started it back up about two years ago ($12 for three years!) and it's much improved. We'll see what happens when the $12 is up. I don't save any - they all get passed along for others to read.

Other than that, the only mag worth subscribing to for me is Mopar Action. I have every mag in binders and on the bookshelf from 1992. Good resource material, and I only have to read 6 per year instead of monthly.

Non-mopar, I also pick up Car Kulture Deluxe and Old Skool Rodz off the stand every once in awhile to check to the hot rods and tattooed chicks. Instead of the pot, I read them sitting in my 60 Plymouth or 61 Chrysler. Muscle cars are cool, but I'm also a chop top - primer - flames - straight axle - magnesium - roots blower - fins, kind of guy.

[greenpigs]

Thats's interesting My latest issue of Car Craft has a fox bodied turbo Ford and a 5.7 Hemi swap in to a Duster. I didn't see any LS swaps, but I did see the supercharged /6.

Really though, do you expect the proliferation of LS articles to be any less than they the build a 500 horse small block chevy articles of the past? They (chevys) still consititute 50% of the hot rodding world, like it or not.

It was in one of the tech columns I think, showed a El camino. Not an actual swap but they mentioned it either way.

I am tired of the new tech, which is the way it is as time moves on. What most of us have are ancient technology but that is what I like.