Car magazine opinions?

"Malanga" (malanga-)
06/01/2016 at 16:35 • Filed to: Magazines, Stuff!

Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on magazines like Motor Trend, Road & Track and Car & Driver... I currently have a subscription to all three but might dump one.

DISCUSSION (54)

HammerheadFistpunch > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 16:39

They all have their pros and cons. I’m a big fan of the design digest in...I want to say Road and Track? and I like that Car and Driver ink is easily transferable to skin and clothes...wait....

Party-vi > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 16:44

I have no interest in Motor Trend and I do not know why. R&T is my favorite out of the three, but honestly all I need is Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car.

Leon711 > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 16:47

What you need to do is to import Evo from the UK/find a US Distributor.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 16:47

I’m a fan of C&D, but having said that, I no longer have a subscription to any car mags, I just go to their website. C&D is pretty good about not beating you over the head for articles on their website. They pick a few articles from the magazine and hold them off the website until the next months issue is out. So as long as you are patient, there is no difference.

Decay buys too many beaters > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 16:48

I’ve dumped all but GRM at this point.

Ash78, voting early and often > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 16:48

I already have all the Weathertech Mats, Valentine radar detectors, and women's pajamas I could ever need, so I don't bother with the magazines anymore. Oooohhh, wait a sec, penis enlargement?

itschrome > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 16:50

PRINT IS DEAD!!!

stuttgartobsessed > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 16:53

Personally I don’t go for the American Car Mags typocally, RACER is the exception, the British have the best by far - Octane is amazing. Evo is pretty good as well.

SkyNet > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 16:53

I love Road and Track. I read all three pretty regularly but R&T is the one one I read religiously.

PorkchoPlissken > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 16:57

I find MT pretty damn worthless, except when I’m out of TP.

Malanga > Ash78, voting early and often
06/01/2016 at 17:01

Hahaha, that's pretty much exactly right

Malanga > Leon711
06/01/2016 at 17:01

I might. Very good, I hear

Malanga > stuttgartobsessed
06/01/2016 at 17:02

Good to know! Might get Evo. I'll have a look at RACER too

Malanga > SkyNet
06/01/2016 at 17:03

It’s getting that way for me... MT seems hell bent on sucking Teslas/GMs/everyone’s dick

Malanga > PorkchoPlissken
06/01/2016 at 17:04

Kinja'd!!!

Malanga > Decay buys too many beaters
06/01/2016 at 17:04

GRM?

Malanga > itschrome
06/01/2016 at 17:04

SO I HEAR

Decay buys too many beaters > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:05

Grass Roots Motorsports

Malanga > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
06/01/2016 at 17:05

I prefer having something in hand to read, but yeah I actually visit the sites once in a while. I stopped going to MT after realizing I was reading magazine articles before they arrived in paper...

Malanga > Decay buys too many beaters
06/01/2016 at 17:06

Will check out!

itschrome > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:07

WHAT?

Urambo Tauro > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:07

I’ve never subscribed to R&T, but for a while I had MT, C&D, and Automobile all coming to my mailbox. After a while I grew tired of MT, and chose not to renew it. If I had to pick only one, I’d hang onto C&D.

Malanga > itschrome
06/01/2016 at 17:13

SPEAK LOUDER SONNY JIM I CANT HEAR YOU

Malanga > Urambo Tauro
06/01/2016 at 17:13

Good to know. I'm considering dumping MT too

BIGBLOCK472 - wide and bizarre > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:14

My preference was Automobile but when Jean Jennings was canned I let my subscription run out. Car and Driver is still decent. R&T is too race oriented for me and MT got soft and became nothing but a puff piece for BMW. I subscribed to all four of them from the time I was 16 to 30 and had only Automobile for for four years after that.

RT > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:18

I don’t really follow car magazines anymore, except for one, Modern Classics.

It’s a brilliant magazine which specialises in cars from the 80s, 90s and 00s. I doubt they’re sold in America though - it’s still quite a new series and it only really focuses on the UK market as far as cars go.

Malanga > BIGBLOCK472 - wide and bizarre
06/01/2016 at 17:21

I’m a year younger than that first age you mentioned and have four right now too, although replace Automobile with Motorsport. MT is too soft like you said so I’m probably not going to resubscribe. I’m a big racing fan so RT works for me... Thanks for info though!

Decay buys too many beaters > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:21

I mean they don’t have a lot of new car reviews or comparos and stuff (all of which can be had online instantly and free) but they’re awesome for DIY and fast on a budget type stuff. Far more in line with my own brand of automotive enthusiasm (can’t really see myself ever buying a new car when there are so many choices on the used market)

Die-Trying > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:23

always liked engine masters, car craft, super chevy, hot rod, popular hotrodding, petersons 4x4 and offroad, depended heavily on what the tech section contained.........

Malanga > RT
06/01/2016 at 17:23

I’ll look it up, thanks!

RT > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:25

If you’re looking for them though, they don’t have a website.

Just a Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modernclassics…

I think you might able to subscribe here though, regardless of where you are: http://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/modern-classic…

Malanga > Decay buys too many beaters
06/01/2016 at 17:26

Sounds great. Completely agree with that last statement too...

Malanga > RT
06/01/2016 at 17:30

Thank you. Good to know

BIGBLOCK472 - wide and bizarre > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:35

RT is great but over the years my automotive interests developed and I racing wasn't a big part of my interest. It's still a good magazine after all these years.

Leon711 > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:35

Their youtube stuff is good too. No Motor trend on demand bullshit there.

SkyNet > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:36

I lost faith in them when they mysteriously gave the Ridgeline the Truck of the Year award and gave the Civic car of the year. It just felt so rigged.

I mean, the original Ridgeline was horrible and broke an axle or something during a basic “off road” (meaning slightly rutted gravel road) test in one of the magazines.

yitznewton > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:37

I’ve had all three plus Grassroots Motorsports since last year. I’m keeping R&T (fascinating writing) and GRM (cool, relatable content).

Malanga > Leon711
06/01/2016 at 17:38

True, I love what they do there. Roadkill is pretty good though.

Scott > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:38

I always loved C&D, until Csaba Csere stepped down as Editor in Chief. It was starting to go down hill before then, but it just got too terrible after that. Growing up, my brother had R&T and I always felt it was too full of old men of the Sort Jeremy Clarkson might make jokes about. I heard that is not the case so much, but not really sure. These days I only look at things online. if I look at an actual magazine it's if it catches my attention in the book store. The only one I have considered getting a subscription to is Grassroots motor sports.

Malanga > SkyNet
06/01/2016 at 17:42

They did? Wow. I only subscribed a few years ago... That would have turned me off immediately. I mean, the Ridgeline is barely a truck! And both the F150 and Silverado were better back then too.

SkyNet > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 17:45

The Tacoma was better back then!

Nothing > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 18:00

I’ll second GRM, and their sister pub, Classic Motorsports. I’ve also thumbed through a few Hemmings Muscle Machines.

I was getting Motor Trend and Automobile through Amazon, but never read them, so I canceled. I think the online subscriptions were $5/yr.

Malanga > Scott
06/01/2016 at 18:03

Yeah GRM has been recommended a bit already. I need to take a look at it

Racin'Jason001 > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 18:52

I get Motor Trend (for now) ... and so far I’m not impressed. They made a big rucuss about their fake Apple car, and now the most recent version of Tesla: Mind blowing S3X. Get the “joke”? It’s disturbing. The editor-in-chief posted this today. REALLY DISTURBING.

Malanga > Racin'Jason001
06/01/2016 at 19:36

Agreed. That “S3X” joke was really distasteful... There are still a lot of kids that read MT (me, for instance, and from what I can tell from your username/ use of emojis, you too) and it’s just not something they should do. I’m probably going to let the subscription run out, as their quality has gone down a bunch (or maybe my standards are higher?) in recent years. R&T is pretty good though.

Racin'Jason001 > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 19:59

Absolutely! (you’re right! I’m 15)

Malanga > Racin'Jason001
06/01/2016 at 21:05

Same age then! Although I'm a bit older since I'm a 2000 kid lol

Racin'Jason001 > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 21:14

I’m a 2000 kid. I was born on September 11. (a year before the 9/11 tragedy)

Malanga > Racin'Jason001
06/01/2016 at 21:58

Ah, that makes sense. I was the 16th, so you're 5 days older than me! Why 001 as your username then?

Racin'Jason001 > Malanga
06/01/2016 at 22:08

Just used it to spice the name up. I didn’t want to have just Racin’Jason. It was too boring, and people would have more trouble mistaking me with the guy nicknamed Racin’Jason who races a mustang.

Malanga > Racin'Jason001
06/01/2016 at 22:33

Ah, gotcha. Makes sense!

sdwarf36 > Malanga
06/02/2016 at 00:50

I’m another that let Automobile lapse after Jean left. Had been a suscriber since issue 1.

I get 2 now-Grassroots + Hemmings Sports+ exotics. Hemmings S+E is the best I’ve seen in years.

Dave the car guy , still here > Malanga
06/02/2016 at 11:13

Dump Motor Trend and maybe Car & Driver, then get Grass Roots Motorsports. Friends love me for giving them my old issues. Without me knowing, my wife renewed my Car & Driver so the magazine sent me a free cap. It looked like a black painters cap that was so cheap I didn’t even throw it in the garage for wrenching...straight to the garbage can. Wasn’t even good enough to wipe grease off my hands.

Malanga > Dave the car guy , still here
06/02/2016 at 12:13

Yeah I got that hat too... cheapest thing in the world by some margin. I'm probably going to let MT run out yup.