Car mags... do you bother now?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

I think the main difference there is model railways are supported by an industry making new stuff, so there's probably good advertising budget.

That doesn't explain the presence of Model Railway Journal, published by the tiny Cygnet Magazines Limited, which showcases very exclusive high-end finescale modelling compared to the proletariat ready-to-run-based mags, yet seems to have no trouble maintaining a presence on WHS shelves. Cover price is virtually five quid, though.

[PrimeraMike]

I have tons and tons of danish, english and german car magazines from around 1982 up to 2005. Then from this point only sporadic magazines bought here and there, until I recently bought a 1 year subscription for Retro Japanese in actual paperform delivered to Denmark.

This is the first subscription I've had since the 90's, with exception of a yearly carbook with the data of cars for the year, I've been subscribed to since around 2000 up to today.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I may be repeating myself,but magazines edited by Peter Simpson have usually gone downhill after he's left.

 

 

 

Says who?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Martin Buckley, who from certain angles starts to look a bit like that actor fella Martin Shaw, will always have a place here at the back of my mind, purely because he isn't afraid to own and run a Ro80 (he's had two) and because he likes getting stuck into unfashionable, but actually quite elegant, big cars - see Fiat 130 and Lancia Gamma coupes.

 

 

Besides, imagine how much fuel was burnt for the 6-Series rolling road test in Retro BMW. No magazine could ever have afforded to pay out of petty cash for that!

 

 

Total BMW.

 

AKA Totally Dead.

 

I got fed up with Buckleh buying something interesting like an early 2200 Princess or rubber bumper XJ-S, wring about it in his column and it's never seen or heard of again.

[sierraman]

I’d agree. But I like his writing and he’s a bangernomics type writer so I would say that. From my perspective his writing was relevant to me and probably most of the people on here plus the articles written were usually from his practical experience as opposed to watching someone in a garage tackle a fairly simple job.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I think his old Man was a bit of a hero and useful with a welder. 

[barrett]

I think Reg_Bollox might have something to say about that

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Total BMW.

 

AKA Totally Dead....

It certainly is now.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I think Reg_Bollox might have something to say about that

 

 

Pray tell?

[barrett]

I think his ex-Buckley Snr 130 saloon had sills mainly made of newspaper, but it's not really my place to say that!

 

(please don't sue me if you're reading this, Martin. At least not until I sell you that 404)

[tul66]

Used to get Car, What Car, Classic Cars, C&S and Auto Italia every month but now don't get anything. Still have 100's of them in the garage which is due to be demolished next year so will have to go.

 

If anyone's after a specific month, PM me and I could see if I have it.

 

If I was to offer them at, say £10 for 5 randoms (collected) with the proceeds going to SSPCA or Help for Heroes, would there be much call for them do you think?

 

 

Cheers.

[timolloyd]

I still pick up Road and Track if I'm in the States. It may just be novelty value for a Brit, but I tend to find a nice blend of enthusiasts' opinions and views on a range of cars designed for drivers - even if it is bias towards moderns

[ProgRocker]

Magazines take up too much room after a few years and it can get out control. Especially if you are poor like me and live in a flat.

 

Spottedlaurel of this parish took a lot of the ones I couldn't sell off my hands.

[jakebullet]

I have readly via the missus but don't actually read it. Only mag I buy now is the 'new' street machine. That could be improved if they had a bit more on the building of the cars other than yeah Joe at xyz performance sorted the engine for me...

[Skut]

I suppose it could be worse. I picked up an American modern car mag in the noughties at the height of their foreign adventures. Never before or since have i heard steering described as "suitably target seeking". It stuck in the memory as a creepy desire to sneak fawning military metaphors into every area possible.

[rovamota]

Total BMW.

 

AKA Totally Dead.

 

I got fed up with Buckleh buying something interesting like an early 2200 Princess or rubber bumper XJ-S, wring about it in his column and it's never seen or heard of again.

 

I remember the column about the Austin 2200 wedge he'd acquired (from the owner of the magazine) and how enthusiastic his son was about it and you're right, it's never been written about or seen since, but then it doesn't exactly fit in with the reader demographic. Someone I know who knows Buckley quite well refers to him as the Spiv...

[Bwrlwm]

As a kid,the first “books” I read were car magazines which I bought from WH Smith in town.Car magazine,Motor or What Car. I read from cover to cover During this time my English schoolwork vastly improved.

These days my obsession with cars has dwindled, especially new ones,but I still regularly buy Practical Classics and Car Mechanics.

One of the early magazines I still have.

[AMC Rebel]

[Uncle Jimmy]

Buckley is a 'salesman'.

I've had a subscription to Classic Car Weekly for some years, I now have about a hundred copies awaiting reading in about 2032. I feel I know more about them than most Triumph Stag owners do.

[scruff]

There are times I didn't get paid for my fuel, and I was a staffer! 

 

 

I think I was constantly in the red for well over a year, entirely down to delayed payment on my not inconsiderable fuel expenses. Nice riding round in Range Rover press cars but not being able to eat took the shine off a little.

 

Thanks for the heads up on CMR, Datsuncog - I too miss Jylopa terribly and it still makes me hoot with laughter when I dig em out. 

[scruff]

From CMR website:

 

STEVE CROPLEY, still hacking away happily at Autocar after 25 years, reckons he has quite enough cars and motorbikes (9) but is nevertheless haunted by a desire to restore the remains of a 1985 turbocharged-then-burned-out 2CV he owned and modified back in the day. It was made modestly famous in a Car magazine feature called ‘Escargot Flambe’ and has recently bobbed up, rusty and immobile but whole, in Worcestershire. We’ll see what happens…

 

 

WHAT!!!! One of my all time fave CAR tales! 

 

https://twitter.com/StvCr/status/748830450626494465

 

 

 

[Steve79]

As a kid,the first “books” I read were car magazines which I bought from WH Smith in town.Car magazine,Motor or What Car. I read from cover to cover During this time my English schoolwork vastly improved.

These days my obsession with cars has dwindled, especially new ones,but I still regularly buy Practical Classics and Car Mechanics.

One of the early magazines I still have.

I can very much relate to this. I can remember buying religiously Auto Express when it was 90p in WH Smith on a Saturday morning with my pocket money in the early 90's and did so for many years.

 

My interest then progressed to Classic American magazine for years (still have many many copies boxed up) and then a practical classics yearly subscription right up until yesterday. I just don't seem to get the enjoyment from it that I used to, especially since Fuzz Townshend left. I always liked his articles, especially his Jenson CV8 rebuild saga.

 

Sam Glover is probably the most interesting out of the current staff, along with some of the stuff that Danny Hopkins writes. It seems to have moved beyond its mgb fascination that it suffered with over the last 10-15 years and now focuses a lot more on the modern classics which is key to drawing in a younger readership.

 

However, I've slowly come to the realisation that my tastes have changed and that the quality, depth and variation of the posts on autoshite and the camaraderie of the members on here leave me far more entertained. As demonstrated by me posting this at well gone midnight

[paulplom]

Car Mechanics are having some bother with that bastard insignia. The cam shaft has snapped now.

[Jazoli]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned it but if you have a iPad or Tablet download the Readly app, for £7.99/month you get unlimited access to most magazines on the market,

 

I read

 

Autosport

Motor Sport

MCN

Ride

Practical Classics

Classic Car Weekly

Classic Car

Evo

Octane

Top Gear

Practical Mechanics

Performance Bikes

Ride

Bike

Practical Sportsbike

Classic and Sports car

Race car Engineering

Autocar

Auto Express

 

And loads of others, I used to subscribe to a couple of bike mags monthly and pick up whatever took my fancy in the newsagents, now I get to read pretty much anything for the same price and it's delivered immediately on the day it's published, I can't say that I do read everything from (virtual) page to page but you can cherry pick the best bits and not feel that you've spent a fiver for a one or two articles that you may be interested in.

[sierraman]

Car Mechanics are having some bother with that bastard insignia. The cam shaft has snapped now.

Just throw the fucker away and start again...

[dollywobbler]

 

From CMR website:

 

 

WHAT!!!! One of my all time fave CAR tales!

 

https://twitter.com/StvCr/status/748830450626494465

I need to follow up on that. I met Cropley around the time he was reintroduced to that 2CV. Lovely chap. It belongs to a friend of mine in the club. Not sure what is happening with it.

[scruff]

Would love to know if it lives again. Met Cropley at Goodwood this year, little star struck, nice bloke though and still sounds australian 

[Bobthebeard]

Personally, no. I don't buy car magazines now. Not really sure why as I used to buy lots of them back in the 1990's.

Probably due to change in taste and the Internet really. Plus this place.

[Bradders59]

I used to regularlry buy CCC (anyone remember it ?), Motoring news, Car, Car Mechanics, Autosport as well as various Motorbike mags, although I wouldn't wipe my arse with MCN.

Don't bother with any of them now, due to the price of them and the endless info on the interweb, apart from an occasional impulse purchase of Autosport.

[iainrcz]

I've got some CCC mags somewhere, I vaguely recall one with a tr7 in race colours on the cover and one with an Elise on the front.

 

I have actually just found a 2011 copy of Triumph world magazine.

 

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