Vanishing motoring YouTube channels

[GregZX]

I’ve noticed a few YouTube channels I enjoyed have not updated for months or even about a year. 
 

Most notably Cortina City, Once Driven Forever Smitten and Retro Rebuilds.

I’m not sure what will happen either with Adam Smith’s Cosworth channel now he’s split up with his Mrs. 
 

Anyone know anything about them?
 

 

[vulgalour]

I don't know anything about those particular channels but one thing causing quite a few channels to go is Youtube drastically reducing how much creators are paid.  Car stuff doesn't do that well unless it's clickbait list nonsense or Americans shouting (and even then it's no guarantee) so some people have just stopped.  If you're doing it for a hobby and you're not worried about what it brings in then it's fine, but if you're relying on it as part of, or your whole, business then chances are you're going to see quite a few more motoring Youtube channels disappearing.

Memphis is another one that hasn't uploaded in ages who used to be pretty regular.

[lesapandre]

I think people get bored - both creators and the audience. Kind of diminishing returns.

They have to get more extreme to keep viewers.

They start out talking about Morris Minors and end up as some rant-fest.

All those negative comments must get very wearing too.

[sierraman]

It’s click bait as above so panic click shit like ‘Never ever buy this Peugeot Puretech engine - it’s literally just exploded in my face and killed the dog’. If it’s containing actual useful information then people seem to get fed up with the dim ill informed comments. 

[Split_Pin]

Dougie from ODFS posted on his personal Instagram a couple of days ago, still busy with Truck and Driver.

He that he'd been in a Turkish prison for 6 months but he was pulling our leg as I saw him in Bonnybridge in his Omega a few months ago.

[GregZX]

4 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Dougie from ODFS posted on his personal Instagram a couple of days ago, still busy with Truck and Driver.

He that he'd been in a Turkish prison for 6 months but he was pulling our leg as I saw him in Bonnybridge in his Omega a few months ago.

Good to know. You always worry that folk have had personal issues that has stopped them making the vids.

[RayMK]

Click bait titles are an unwelcome trend, not just in motoring channels.  Judging by the viewing numbers it seems to work for some.  I no longer open any video  which has an overly dramatic title because 99% of them prove to be nonsense and not worth the viewing time.

Cortina City was enjoyable a few years ago when the chap took on huge weldathon projects.  Perhaps he's just worn himself  out.  The shouty channels leave me cold but one or two charismatic motoring channels have become extremely successful e.g. Car Wow  (a big budget, professional team effort) and Vice Grip Garage (Shear hard graft and an entertaining, likeable  personality).  

[Marshall2810]

There's lots to choose from and struggle to keep up to date. I'm quite enjoying the less hysterical ones with genuinely good tips and friendly presentation style. Two smaller channels I can recommend are Tasty Classics and Seaside Garage. They're a bit more of a community, and often reach out for help and encourage comments etc.

I don't watch normal TV so get far more value supporting their work than with paying a licence fee. 

[Ghosty]

ODFS is a full time journo and sometime recovery driver, I think the channel's more for chronicling his hobby more than anything. He never really had a concrete upload schedule.

[junkyarddog]

I only watch VGG,and 6D Diesels,I do occasionally watch others but most don't appeal.

[Split_Pin]

Editor of Truck and Driver no less. He is in Norway just now. I'm sorry he's not uploading any more but life takes over sometimes.

I'm essentially bored of motoring channels now, most presenters are really conceited and annoying.

The only one I like is Flexiny because he doesn't talk. Anyone that literally digs an FSO 125p Pickup out the undergrowth after 30 years jacks it up, gets it started and drives it about and doesn't give a fuck that it's snapping in half is a legend in my book. Just gets on with it.

Hubnut is good as well in my opinion, mainly because he gets into spannering bother to about the same degree as I do 😂

[egg]

It feels like viewing numbers are down on car related content, but I hate making statements like that without data - and it could just be that numbers were really high during the pandemic, and are reverting to 'normal'.

But let's give one example, Doug DeMuro is doing about a 3rd of what he did views wise 3 years ago.

[Bren]

Emily Shields had a lot of volvo related stuff but there has been nothing new for ages.

[sierraman]

3 hours ago, GregZX said:

Good to know. You always worry that folk have had personal issues that has stopped them making the vids.

There was a guy that used to do some good bricklaying videos, his wife died tragically then not posted since. Hopefully he’s ok but I can imagine in that circumstance last thing you need is Ken in Wigan telling you your pointing is shit. 

[RoverFolkUs]

Just take a look at car throttle, completely fallen off a cliff after new management imposed new rules which naffed all the presenters off who then left to create their own splinter channels. 

Looks like they're getting about 10% of the views they used to, even despite how much everyone loved to hate Alex Kersten

[cort16]

I used to like Hoovies garage but he seems to have got himself stuck in this never ending loop he can't break out of while being in huge amounts of debt to service the constant rotation of buying and fixing cars.

I remember recently he was really ill but had to make a video because of financial and commercial commitments.  As part of this he's really gone for the click bait titles and videos, which has put me off.

It also very much doesn't look like fun when you're so over committed and in debt you can't even miss one weeks of videos. Doesn't sound like much fun.

Doug Demuro figured out Youtube isn't a long term career and used his profile to leverage his cars n bids online auction company, which he recently sold for mega $$$. He now has the choice on what wants to do on youtube he doesn't need the money.

[loserone]

I was really enjoying diesel creek until Matt started advertising vitamin supplements.

[cort16]

7 minutes ago, loserone said:

I was really enjoying diesel creek until Matt started advertising vitamin supplements.

I don't mind that. The videos are free, youtube only provides limited income all so they need to make money some how.

It's really either selling shite or putting your hand out for Patreon if you want to do it as a full time job.

I think selling tshirts and merch is a good way of them getting money as they get the cash and the viewer gets something in return and feels like they're actually supporting them.  

[GregZX]

I often wonder how they afford to do YouTube full time.  Jack of Number 27 fame must have some sort of serious private income as YouTube income can’t cover importing and rebuilding a De Tomaso Pantera never mind all the other cars he has including that Ferrari. 

[Ghosty]

I randomly stumbled over Dean of Machine recently, his commitment to getting old Volvos running is remarkable.

[trigger]

I've been getting involved a bit in this YouTube stuff, a mate of mine and his misses have a channel on barn finds and stuff which I help out with behind the scenes with as such, they seem to be doing well but they've learnt you need to do what YOU enjoy and not what the comments are telling you too, there's been a few projects which they've got deep into as their sub base told them to do it but it turned out all they were doing was throwing money away on shit and hating it.

And then there's the shitty comments to deal with, some bored 14 year old telling you that your a cunt and wishes you dead is always nice when you've posted a video about a Austin Allegro.

[egg]

22 minutes ago, cort16 said:

Doug Demuro figured out Youtube isn't a long term career and used his profile to leverage his cars n bids online auction company, which he recently sold for mega $$$. He now has the choice on what wants to do on youtube he doesn't need the money.

Smart move wasn't it? Saw which way the wind was blowing. It's good really, as while I'm not a fan of the man so much, the cars he gets from time to time interest me - and he does fewer modern cross overs now. Still too many pick-ups and 4x4s though...

[cort16]

18 minutes ago, GregZX said:

I often wonder how they afford to do YouTube full time.  Jack of Number 27 fame must have some sort of serious private income as YouTube income can’t cover importing and rebuilding a De Tomaso Pantera never mind all the other cars he has including that Ferrari. 

I wonder this too he seems to put a lot of effort in but the videos don't get massive numbers.

I can kind of understand the car repair ones being more self sufficient  as you can do the repairs in a single location, film the videos then sell the car hopefully for a profit. 

There's a channel I like called saving salvage. The guy  was an Audi mechanic so knows his stuff with the VAG stuff and not afraid of a challenge and doesn't;t hide it when things go wrong or he fucks up. 

He's recently started a company raffling off the cars he fixes, which is probably not a bad way of doing it.

[Dyslexic Viking]

The channels I follow and there are several all seem to be going well. But I've unsubscribed on some like Hoovie.

My favorites have to be Cold War Motors  Scott and the rest is a great bunch of people even though it may seem a bit rough and weird it is honest and real.

Vice Grip garage is also up there mostly because I like Derek, but some of his content can get a bit monotonous and boring. But I like how he revives cars where I get the impression he cares and doesn't try to ruin them something Junkyard Digs does too much.

I like Kevin and Mook from Junkyard Digs but he cares too little and destroys more than I like the recent Buick episode is a good example if this had been on VGG or Cold War Motors that engine would have got running without destroying something.

And of course I also follow Hub Nut and have done so for years.

[sheffcortinacentre]

Coldwar motors is one of the best channels scott do's some amazing work, vice grip I've given up on as there's just to much waffling.

Another great one is halfass kustoms.

[Dyslexic Viking]

Cold War Motors and 6D Diesels are among the channels that are way too under subscribed they deserve much more subscribers than what they have.

[dollywobbler]

Derek is definitely making VGG work, though I often wonder at what personal cost. He works so bloody hard. His latest video was also 3 hours! Bit much perhaps.

I would say it's getting more difficult at the moment. Short format is definitely having an impact on long format, but the income potential for short format is pretty much nil. 

The stress of it being a full time job can take the joy out of it, so I fully understand why people like Diesel Creek take the sponsorship dollar. Even Derek has gone bloody health drinks. We don't because I can't bring myself to pretend to like something just because I'm being paid. If we do a sponsorship it's because we believe in whatever it is were talking about.

Pete C has had some mental health challenges. I miss his content, but it's bloody hard when your head just isn't in the mood.

[loserone]

9 hours ago, cort16 said:

don't mind that. The videos are free, youtube only provides limited income all so they need to make money some how.

I don't mind sponsorship or advertising, if it's appropriate.  Hey, thanks to XX as they sent me this tool / wall of fastenings/ whatever and it's great, look at this.  

Even the Squarespace / nordvpn stuff is OK, I like how Ryan on fortnine manages to use the Squarespace ad seemlessly as a delivery mechanism for the actual content.  That stuff is next level YouTubing.  

 

But anything selling health on tenuous supplements can absolutely get to fuck.

[goosey]

Polebarn Garage is quite good, no sponsorships so everything is done on a budget and he shows the good and bad. He’s the one who aquired the unrestorable square body Chevy from junkyard digs and restored it 

[trigger]

If I see another Carvertical advert... I'd love to know their advertising budget!