Karl on Cars: Wishing I Still Had Time for Magazines

Ahhhh. Reminds me of some of the old stacks of mags that I used to have. Kind of miss them piled up there next to the throne. :(

I have pruned my magazine subcriptions down to just 6 from a high of 15(?). I just don't have the time to read all of them what with work and family. As for the sub prices, I renewed my R&T recently for $12 for 2 years! I don't know how much longer the general interest mags can survive, but I do think there will be a market for specialty mags like MT Classic, Hemmings Mucsle Machines etc. These mags don't need to focus on news so much as cool and unusual cars plus great stories. I have an ereader for books, but there is something about holding a magazine that I enjoy. My current monthly's are, CAR, MT Classics, Hemmings Sports cars, R&T, Retro Cars (from the UK) and Men's Journal, cars aren't my only hobby!

I had maintained a couple subscriptions (Motor Trend, Road&Track) as they were still useful when traveling, and I liked passing them down to the kids when I was done. But I got an iPhone which provides plenty of other diversions at the airport, and I got tired of scanning for all the trashy "male enhancement" ads that needed to be removed before I could give the magazines to the kids. Plus I just didn't need the information they contained. I can barely get to all the free online content that comes through on my RSS reader. There is the occasional super cool car that I can't get enough of, but I'm not likely to read three different online reviews of the same minivan, much less again when it comes out in print. So as of today all my print subscriptions have lapsed. The only printed subscription I get is the Sunday paper, and that's just for the coupons.

I still keep a wide range of Auto mags(from Autoweek to Road & Track to Popular Hot Rodding) coming in. Keep my library close to my porcelain throne. It offers some quality reading time every morning!

I have been a subscriber to R&T since the mid-1960s.
[ I have a copy of the first R&T I saw on a newsstand. ]
And I expect that I will continue.
For me, there is no substitute...
- Ray
Gettin' pretty freakin' old, I am.....

I have been a subscirber to C&D since the mid-60s, and I used to start salivating around the 28th of the month, waiting impatiently for the next issue to arrive.

Now, I have Edmunds, which has dulled my interest in print magazines. (I also have an R&T subscription, but I am letting that lapse due to their coverage of too many unaffordable cars.)

It takes me only about an hour to go through C&D these days. I feel kinda guilty about that, but most of what's in the mag is old hat by the time it gets to my mailbox. And I really don't like the editorials (David loses me in his remembrances.) Not much more to like-- except maybe the male enhancement ads. My subscription to C&D runs out in November.....

@rayainsw: I felt like you do, probably until about a year ago. Maybe I am a bit older than you (I am 68)

"I have been a subscriber to R&T since the mid-1960s.
[ I have a copy of the first R&T I saw on a newsstand. ]
And I expect that I will continue.
For me, there is no substitute...
- Ray
Gettin' pretty freakin' old, I am....."

I'm right their with you; I subscribed to CD in 1968 at the age of 11, followed by R&T in 1972. I currently subscribe to seven car magazines and two motorcycle magazines. As for oldies but goodies, David E. Davis Jr. was kind enough to sign my April 1968 copy of Car and Driver- that is the issue that contains his classic piece"Turn Your Hymnals to 2002".

I still have a few magazines coming in monthly, because I just can't pass up the multi-year cheap subscription deals. I really like having another source of automotive information and photographs other than the internet, but truthfully, my pile is growing much larger than Karl's on a monthly basis. Between work, family, and InsideLine, I just don't want to commit the time to read them through. But I won't toss them 'til I do either. I also have Wired coming in monthly, but it is just added to the pile with the rest.

I have had Motor Trend and Car & Driver subscriptions since the 80's. However, in recent years, there is nothing you can gain from the printed publication that you can read for free elsewhere on the web. So, I've dropped them.

I also think the quality of the investigative journalism in this industry is suffering. There's no real sense of automotive passion in the articles/reviews. They all tell you about the soft seat, or the dash alignment, but, rarely do they include technical details about the engine or transmission. Many don't even mention if the car has disc or drum brakes, or how they compare against the previous generation, etc.

I don't want to read about what my mom thinks of the car. I want to know how it is going to hold up long term, what the mechanic will think about it when I take it in for service in 5 years. How complicated common service is going to be, etc. Or, even a new topic now to add: how easy its electronic system is to be hacked, which could indicate failure, etc.

Another huge failure I've noticed that has increased in frequency are the errors in articles. Within the last week I've read about Honda's luxury division being Infiniti, the new 5spd auto in the new Explorer, and the fact that a small compact pickup is no longer made (Ranger).

My Grandma has some sort of membership at IMS which includes a subscription to Car and Driver. She doesn't read those, of course, so they come straight to me. And my parents got me a subscription to Motortrend as a gift. While much of that information is redundant with what I read here and a little behind, the alternate viewpoints and different preferences/biases of the writers makes for interesting, balanced reading. True, most of that information can also be had on the magazine's websites, but after spending a work day on the computer, sometimes it is nice to come home, sit on the couch or in bed, and read something on paper with soft, natural lighting. And magazines are easy to read while on the eliptical or bike at the gym.

The one magazine subscription I had trouble with falling behind on was the Economist. It comes weekly, and the information is so in depth it was easy to fall behind, especially since every article was worth reading carefully. I also have a backlog of a few David McCullough books (Brooklyn Bridge and Jonestown flood) Team of Rivals, and a financial/economic history book. And somewhere in all that, my Rod Machado pilot handbook.

Wrinklebump, glad to see someone else here is reading Harry Potter. I missed out on that trend at first, but I'm finally getting around to it now. They're clearly written for children, but even reading them as an adult I can see the writing is very good.

I agree it is hard to find time to read magazines these days, especially compared to Edmunds.com which I check out almost every day. For most of the car magazines in the U.S. it seems like other than shrinking in size it is still business as usual. I was about to lose faith in C&D, but their last issue (including the McLaren MP4) was actually a pretty good read.

Although vastly more expensive, the British car mags EVO and CAR both provide content that is difficult to find on the internet. The photography is great and the writing and passion is definitely present and accounted for. Like others have said, you can't just list features and give a brief impression after a 30 minute drive. Edmunds.com and other internet sites have already done that weeks before the issue arrives in my mailbox.

I still like having mags around for messing around outside, near the pool etc. They are DIRT CHEAP when you have subscriptions.

I've had multiple automotive subscriptions since I was about 14-15. Started with mags like Truckin', Street Trucks, Sport Trucks, and has varied through different genres through the years. Currently I think I'm down to one subscription, but that will probably be upped soon. The wife used to threaten to throw my stacks (I tend to leave them near anywhere comfortable). A few weeks ago I had Top Gear, Motortrend, C&D, and Hot Rod. I noticed Motortrend, C&D, R&T all kinda seem to have the same articles, and it got hard to tell them apart. Plus I really like the aftermarket stuff, so I let them expire so I can start over with the ones I read the most. And just for the record, I actually read every magazine cover to cover (even the boring stuff) and usually multiple times.

Haven't had a paid-for magazine subscription in years. BMW sends their silly BMWCCA mag but I throw that directly in the recycling without ever opening it (and send them emails begging them to stop sending the blasted things). Every now and then we'll get a free sub to Forbes or something through Fat Wallet.

I still remember covers of my favorites issues of MT CD MI ...R/T kinda bored me...and Car Craft. I started in the mid 70s and stopped sometime around 2000....I hate all of that paper crap now.

I've subscribed to Car and Driver since the mid-1980s and still have every issue. I've subscribed to AutoWeek for almost as long and still get it, even though I've been reconsidering that since they switched to biweekly publication (and all their content is online before the issue shows up). I'm letting a longtime Road & Track subscription run out because the only thing I really enjoy reading is Peter Egan's columns and features, and their car reviews are far from critical.

I can't see myself ever stopping the subscriptions to C/D and Automobile. Even though both have most of their content online, I enjoy sitting down and spending some time with both. I used to do the same with the UK's Car, but let it lapse because it's so darned expensive.

Love the new Car & Driver layout. Read it mostly for John Phillips' articles. David E Davis is kind of funny in a "grandpa tellin' stories" kind of way. I enjoyed the Outlander customization gag. Glad they ditched Patrick Bedard and Brock Yates. Those guys definitely have the bona fides, but too much "gubmint gon' to take away our cars!" I hope they can keep it going strong. I like what Eddie Alterman has done done so far.

C&D is my only print subscription, so it's easy to keep up with.

I pick up CAR when I'm at the bookstore and need to kill some time. Fantastic, fantastic mag. An absolute visual joyfest. Great writing, fantastic pictures and layout, all-around fun time. I might pick up a subscription. But then I have to revisit my one magazine rule. I may have to kick C&D to the curb, as long as I can get John Phillips' articles online.

einser: Have you priced the Car subscription? I love the mag but finally couldn't justify the cost, especially when you can read it at Barnes & Noble for free. :-)

The design of C/D alone is worth the subscription. It's really as good as it gets when it comes to delivering information about vehicles. The video available online seals the deal.

And of course, the writing is superior. Only the British mags rival it in terms of quality prose. Compare IL's full test of the Boss 302 to C/D's, for example. Jacquot's review is anything but bad, but it's pretty obvious he's a driver first and a writer second. Phillips has a livelier, more engaging style, and yet is just as technical.

When I was Jr.-Sr. High age, I was reading my Dad's old car magazines of the '50's, '60's, and early '70's. Some of my first subscriptions were Car & Driver, Hemmings, Automobile Quarterly, Cars & Parts, Car Craft, Hot Rod and AutoWeek. Still own them along with others over the years, as before the internet, they were my best resource for specs, pictures and road tests, etc. of older vehicles.

About 9 or 10 years ago, I was subscribing to 12 or more magazines a month. Mopar Action, Mopar Muscle, Mopar Collectors Guide, to name a few. Even, Sport Compact Car. After a few years, was working too much to read them and let them all expire. Because of the awesome multi-year deals, I have again subscribed to Automobile. After that subscription ended, I took up a multi-year deal with MotorTrend, again, which I'm still receiving.

In years past, I daily visited AutoWeek online and Car-Truck.com. I moved on to AutoBlog, Jalopnik, and a few others. It's only in the past few years that I've discovered how much Edmunds/InsideLine has to offer. This is currently my favorite automotive online resource. And, consequently, where I spend much of my free time.

I am subscribed to C&D, MT , Automobile and now because I am buying a new pickup truck, Truck Trend.

With only 3 magazines, and because I like to read them slowly and with pleasure, yep, I am often left behind.
Just started reading my March 2011 issue of C&D, and all the other March issues I haven`t even touch them yet.

But I love having the option to read at night.

A few years ago, I decided to treat myself to whatever magizine subscription I wanted, hoping to help keep the medium alive. I got the idea from aiport newsstands, where I typically picked out a $5 car mag. Why not get them mailed to my home? So far:
Hemmings Sport and Exotic Car, Automobile, A/W, Road and Track, Car and Driver, Rod and Custom, the Economist, Collectible Automobile, History Magazine and WWII History.

My wife is, of course, mad about the stacking magazines. I had to learn: Only commit to reading what interests me right away, and then recycle.