Motor Trend Magazine - junk?

[X-Frame]

Does anyone besides myself find that "Motor Trend Magazine" is basically junk compared to what it once was in the 1960s-1970s? I was given a subscription and unlike the show cars, family car driving reviews, and articles of the past it is just full of ads and high end performance and exotic cars beyone the reach of the normal person. To me the magazine is only a shadow of its former self. What happened? And is there one out there that is more like the old format to subscribe to?

Eric

[supersix]

I think most car magazines are now as you describe. I started a subscription to Car Craft few years ago and canceled after I got the first issue.

[John Byrd]

Eric, I imagine they still occasionally have something of interest to someone, but some sneaky rascal in our little car club here sent in a gift subscription in my name and I'm still trying to find out who "did that to me", ha !

[Bleach]

I felt the same way about the Car and Driver magazine 20 years ago. The only magazine subscriptions I currently have is for National Geographic and AACA Antique Automobile. I threatened to cancel National Geographic because they didn't offer any significant discount for being a subscriber for 50 years so they gave me a great deal for 7 more years.

[Matt Harwood]

I always feel like an old fuddy-duddy (at the ripe old age of 44) when I complain about the "modern" car magazines, but they've really gotten unreadable. Car & Driver has long been a favorite because the writers are witty and they do like to have fun with cars, but the format of the magazine blurs the lines between advertising and articles and the charts--oh my god the charts!--make it so hard to navigate through the articles. I never know where one article ends and the next begins, and like I said, many of the articles look just like the ads right next to them. And the typeface is so small that I absolutely cannot read them without glasses, and I don't wear glasses! It's like 7 point font or something--I can read the fine print on the side of a bottle of aspirin easier than any modern car magazine.

I had subscriptions to all the major car magazines, but I let them all lapse. I think I have a year left on Car & Driver and a few months on Autoweek, but I'm going to let them die, too. I shouldn't have to work that hard to read something for enjoyment. Maybe younger folks with miniscule attention spans and the need for constant stimulation appreciate the chaotic layouts, but all it does is make it hard to enjoy their product.

/old man

//get off my lawn!

[Marty Roth]

At least Hemmings Classic Car continues to be of interest,

but sometimes it seems that Motor Trend has lost its way,

and has anyone noticed how diminished the articles, and especially the advertising have become in Old Cars Weekly News & Marketplace?

There was a time when I couldn't wait for the kids to finish their homework so I could get to the latest issues of Sports Car Graphic, Road & Track, Car & Driver, Citroen Car Club News, etc. Thankfully we still have AACA's Antique Automobile, Buick Bugle, Self-Starter, Generator & Distributor, Bulb Horn, Horseless Carriage Gazette, and some fine local and region newsletters....

and especially this FORUM !!

[8E45E]

That is one reason I prefer Autocar, CAR, and Top Gear from the UK. They tell it like it is, and not afraid to say if a car is a POS for fear of losing advertising revenue.

Craig

[28 Chrysler]

I hate to say it but most of the rags I have seen in the last view years have been garbage, cars, finance, business, etc.

[X-Frame]

That is one reason I prefer Autocar, CAR, and Top Gear from the UK. They tell it like it is, and not afraid to say if a car is a POS for fear of losing advertising revenue.

Craig

Great magazines if you are in the UK or Canada like you are. Not much as so far as options here in America. I just looked at a recent copy of MT and it is baffling how a 2-page ad on A-Fib medication or selling Lee blue jeans have anything to do with automobiles? And the "family" magazine factor goes out the window when they also have ads for penis enlargement or sex aids in the back. Certain parts of the layout is hard to tell where ads end and articles start? And as I said, some issues should be named "Exotic World" rather than the MT we knew from years ago.

[joe_padavano]

I used to subscribe to all the major car mags (M/T included) but have let nearly all lapse over the years. All print media have gone to the infomercial content and "special advertising section" formats. That's just a fact of life in today's print media world. Camaro Craft was one of the early casualties-the monthly small block Chevy build got old. I dropped Car and Driver this year. The aforementioned graphics and editorial change killed it for me. The Peterson-EMAP-SourceInterlink-TEN Publishing conglomorate has killed off some of the titles I still got (like Rod and Custom). They also started reprising the same articles among their magazines. These days I'm down to Hot Rod (a subscriber since 1971), Autoweek, Street Rodder, and Auto Restorer (and Journey With Olds).

[Highlander160]

They're all going the way of the Dodo Bird, Hudson, Moon, well, you get it. What you want is here in the WWW now. Rod & Custom is gone for good, Garage was short-lived, Hot Rod is like you've already said above. I get The Rodders Journal and tried Hemmings Muscle Machines for a year. The rest of the things that really attract a reader can be found on your friggen phone now too. I guess we sucked it up for catalytic convertors, impact bumpers, little F.I. engines, lots of synthetics used on bodies, why not interactive reading too? Ya gotta admit, it's kool to make a direct comment or question to a featured car here or on other sites (I frequent The Jalopy Journal too).

[Aaron65]

Of all the modern mags, I used to like Road and Track the best, but then Peter Egan retired and they moved the editorial office to Ann Arbor with Car and Driver. Now it's basically Car and Driver, Part II. I get both, but only because they're cheap. I still get Car Craft only because I have for almost 15 years. It's OK, but I'm not a speed freak, so it has little relevance to me since I'm not putting an LS-engine in anything anytime soon. I do still enjoy Hemmings Classic Car and Sports Car and Exotic. To me, they're the best magazines out there right now. I got Hot Rod until earlier this year, but got sick of looking at those rich guy builds. I like cars that are basically factory stock anyway, so it wasn't a good mix.

[Restorer32]

Even National Geographic has gone down hill since they started accepting advertising. Most articles now have a strong political bias. Used to be an avid reader, now only if I come across an issue at the dentist or doc's office.

[Guest AlCapone]

The only one I presently subscribe to ( used to be 5 ) is Hemmings. Usually about 650 pages, some good stories and articles and lots of for Sale advertisements. I made three great car purchases this year as a result of reading this book ( lol ). There may well be things I don't like about it so I just skip those days parts. At about $2.50 a month I think it is a great buy.

Wayne

[Dave Henderson]

How I remember the anticipation of receiving that next issue of MT back in the '50's. I have kept those early issues, and occasionally pull them out and enjoy re reading them. Not to mention drooling over the array of now CCCA-recognized classics offered in the classified ads at what are now unreal, pittance prices. From the start it was much about interesting cars, many that had been around for a while. Not to sound bitter, but when I recently picked up a MT in the barber shop, it quickly went back on the rack and I reminded myself to not bother again.

[60FlatTop]

I check a couple of forums online and get my club magazines. There are four hardbound books and one professional organization magazine next to my chair in the living room. I will have to stash them away before the Christmas crowd gets here.

I lost a life long fascination with magazines for two reasons; 1. every time I looked at one stuff fell out of it. I was always picking up advertising and subscription cards. I t was an extension of junk mail. 2., it became more and more obvious that the writers needed a bag of groceries for their effort than they wanted to write a meaningful article. The 10 Ugliest Radio Delete Panels or All the Things I Learned About a Car I Knew Nothing About Last Week are the kind of articles that hold no value. And certainly not worth picking up a bunch of mail-in cards off the bathroom floor.

Car Life was always my favorite when growing up; facts, no hype and BS, no author/character/hero's. Well, I am going to shut down the computer. I have a broken bolt to drill out. Modern magazines are just for people without priorities.

Bernie

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Yep, for old car magazines I really like the Antique Automobile and the HMN publications although I do not think their staff is as well versed in prewar cars as they are with postwar foreign sports cars. That said, the articles in both HMN Sports and Exotic and HMN Classic Car are pretty good. Don't see myself eveer dropping the "classic" HMN either. My bank just sent a nice container of cookies for being a 30 + year customer, I just wish HMN would send something as I am over 35 years now - -

The new stuff interests me to some degree as I like new cars as well, but I only take those (R&T seems about the best these days) when they are offerred for $8 per year - cheap enough to thumb through and and pass along!

[R W Burgess]

My bank just sent a nice container of cookies for being a 30 + year customer, I just wish HMN would send something as I am over 35 years now - -

I used to get those cookies, candies, and popcorn tin boxes, just full of goodies from Quill Company. These were for buying all of those reams of paper in my editor days. Anybody need any popcorn tins?

[Bleach]

Meh, my bank doesn't even send me a calendar.

[1937hd45]

Magazines, something I'll have to explan to the grandkids some day. I do remember the 23rd of every month when the First Class delivery of Hemmings was due. The real motivated sellers would list their phone number, guess they thought that extra expence would be returned in sales. Bob

[Rusty_OToole]

I used to look forward to the day new magazines arrived at the local tobacco store (every Tuesday and Thursday). I bought 6 or 8 every month, 2 at a time. That was in the sixties and seventies. Now I seldom even bother to look at them.

[Pomeroy41144]

Even National Geographic has gone down hill since they started accepting advertising..

National Geographic has always had advertising. I have issues going back to the 1920s, and they all have ads in them.

Edited December 26, 2014 by Pomeroy41144 (see edit history)

[Paul Dobbin]

I remember when Old Cars Weekly was just Old Cars and came out only once a month. Anticipation was part of the fun. Then they offered 5 volumns of "The Best Of Old Cars" in a thick magazine format. I still have them all. The best thing about old car articles is that they're still good 30 years later if you are interested in old cars. Now I agree with Marty Roth, Classic Car and our own Antique Automobile plus the Ford V8 Clubs V8 Times are the best on the market.

I keep a 1967 small Hemming's Motor News in my 34 Ford glove box just to check prices now & then and remember when prices were more affordable (Even in adjusted dollars). That was 10 years before "Collector Cars as an Investment" was even thought of. They were for fun and a very interesting hobby.

Edited December 25, 2014 by R W Burgess
Cleaned it up for you, Paul! (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

I just read the latest post to this topic and remembered how long it has been since I subscribed to Skinned Knuckles Magazine. I was happy to find they accept payments online and as of today I am a subscriber again.

My first subscription was purchased at the 1977 Buick Nationals in Strongsville, Ohio. A vendor was set up with back issues and taking subscriptions. I bought one of everything he had and continued to subscribe for at least 20 years.

I had a 1939 Series 40 at the time and liked this line up in 1977:

Here's the car in 1974:

Maybe I'll give it another 20 years and if it works out, make it permanent. It really is the best magazine I've read.

http://skinnedknuckles.net/pages/table%20of%20contents.htm

Bernie

Edited December 25, 2014 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

I am down to Hemmings Classic car as a subscriber. In Canada there is a pretty good "Canadian Hot Rods " that is mostly Lo -tech oriented, and I sometimes buy it off the newsstand. The British magazines are great but very expensive. I only buy them second hand at swap meets. I have hundreds of car magazines from the 40's to the 80's, almost any one of them is better than todays offerings. I buy quite a few 6 month - year old car magazines off my local public library disgard shelf; 10 cents each 3 for a quarter, that's about what they are worth. They end up in the lunch room at work.

Greg in Canada

[Rusty_OToole]

I used to get those cookies, candies, and popcorn tin boxes, just full of goodies from Quill Company. These were for buying all of those reams of paper in my editor days. Anybody need any popcorn tins?

I have wanted 1 or 2 of those big popcorn tins for quite a while, I use them for wastebaskets and my old ones are getting all rusty and battered. They always came out around Christmas so I went to Walmart to get some but was disappointed. They had some but they were only half the size of the old ones and cost $10 bucks. I bought one anyway and am eating my way thru the caramel corn as we speak.

[plymouthcranbrook]

I only Subscribe to Hemming Classic Cars now. I used to take Auto Restorer but the cost became prohibitive. I picked up the latest issue of Road and Track in the Walgreens the other day while waiting for a prescription and couldn't even make sense of it. I wondered what happened to Peter Egan, I see above he had retired. Even 15 years ago he was the best thing in it. I gave up Autoweek in the early 80's as well. My tastes changed after my two older kids were born and it was not until the 90's that I regained any interest in cars and by then it was Classics not sports cars. When I began looking at magazines again I was surprised how much different they had become. Now as many of you do I seen to spend most of my Car reading time here and several other Old Car sites.

[Dave@Moon]

I still try to keep abreast of new cars as much a possible, and subscribe to Autoweek. I was about to defend them as one of the lesser commercially influenced magazines until last night, when between last minute present wrapping I picked up the 12/15 issue. Normally there is not as much fawning for each new car as there is in the other major rags, but this one took the cake.

It was cover-to-cover a Dodge brochure. All the "articles" and all the ads were for Dodge, and there was little if anything to distinguish between the two. Not that I have anything against Dodge, but I was disgusted. I don't spend money on a magazine to read promotional literature.

If you want to learn about new cars, read Consumer Reports. Their reviews are clinically objective, and lean more to the enthusiast bent on appropriate vehicles than most people realize.

[keiser31]

Some unknown person that knows me gave me a subscription to a car magazine and it is all pretty much new sports and utility types combined. I go for a walk every day, so on my way past the local barber shop, I drop them off for the customers to read. I never even open them to read them anymore. I never saw so many ads and stuff that did not interest me all in one car magazine!

[NTX5467]

The first car magazines I managed to get my parents to buy for me were the "green tint" Hot Rod Magazines. Then came Motor Trend, back when it was a highly-regarded magazine and their "Car of the Year" award really meant something. That particular award has seen many evolutions and orientations, over the years, which seem to have diminished its value every so often. Unfortunately, their COTY award has gone to some "significant dud" vehicles, although they seemed very neat at the time, usually due to how they determined which vehicles would be eligible each year.

The neighborhood grocer was my main source of car magazines. I always checked out the magazine racks when we went to the store! As mother shopped, I'd browse magazines. I still have those magazines, too.

I strongly concur with Bernie on CAR LIFE magazine! I liked the spec charts, their accurate commentaries, and they usually tried to maintain a reasonable "equality" standard of how they tested vehicles. I was mad at Petersen Publishing for absorbing them in the early 1970s! Back then, Petersen Publications was very well respected in the industry, as others tried to compete with their "properties".

As life progressed, Hot Rod fell from favor, as did MT. I had some Sports Car Graphic magazines with articles on American cars in them. CAR AND DRIVER was more import brand oriented back then, so they didn't compare to MT (to me), but there were some great articles on radial tires and shock absorbers as they started their transition into more USA brand vehicles being tested. By the '90s, though, Hondas were their "chosen brand" and everything had to compare to them. It seemed that they were wearing "Honda-colored" glasses! David E. Davis was a character, but worth reading. CAR AND DRIVER was the last car magazine I had a subscription to. One reason I finally let it lapse had to do with both their editorial orientations (although they produced some of the most consistent road test numbers of any magazine, until their road tester was killed doing a high-speed top speed test in a Mercedes) AND the fact my storage spaces were quickly being maxed-out. I chose, instead, to purchase "as desired" rather than a blanket yearly subscription.

For the broad-based appeal to younger people which many car magazines might hope to have, I was highly-surprised when I started seeing "sexual enhancement" ads in the back pages of them! Used to see those things ONLY in the back pages of Argosy or other "men's magazines", not in a car magazine which might make its way into a public school library!

Consumer Reports has had its ups and downs. Many consumers still like it, but there can be some orientations creeping in there every so often, by observation, dependent upon who's running things and how "daring" they might desire to be. Ragging on a Dodge Charger for the way its rear door sheet metal might restrict a child's view out of the window isn't a "defect", especially when the kid's probably going to be watching a DVD or playing video games (rather than looking at the scenery pass by, as WE did).

When I rented a Honda Accord DE in the middle 2000s, I was appalled at the lack of low-end torque in that 4cylinder engine. To compensate, the trans had a really deep low gear, but needed to downshift just to go from 60mph to 62mph with the cruise control "accel" function. Once past 3000rpm, even at part throttle, the power "came on" significantly. I was surprised to have NOT read about that in CAR AND DRIVER, as they were so "in love" with Hondas back then. It did have other redeeming values, though, and I could see why people liked them so much, even with the powertrain's "delivery" quirks.

The problem with many "comparison tests" is that some of the "losers" aren't really losers, just not quite as good as some of the other vehicles in the test group. PLUS, how things end up can be due to the way the vehicles are equipped/configured in relation to the others, by observation. Even tire choice can make or break some performances! But they still have their place. Only thing is that a high-scoring vehicles ownership experience can be locally-influenced by the dealer network and how customers are taken care of ... or not taken care of . . . which can make a 3rd, 4th, or 5th place finisher a better choice for some consumers.

As things have transpired, I still look at some of them, but now know that the writers "aren't all-knowing" as the great writers of the '60s and earlier '70s seemed to be, in most cases. The great ones were not replaced by similarly great ones, it seems, especially as things progressed into the 2000s! Not unlike what "network news", much less "cable news", has seemed to become.

Regarding electronic media, the www.wildaboutcarsonline.com website and its Automotive History Project are archiving a huge amount of older car magazines on their website. Not to forget about the huge amount of car ads and dealer training videos on YouTube! Ahhhhh, the memories!

Enjoy!

NTX5467

Edited December 26, 2014 by NTX5467 (see edit history)

[stock_steve]

Car magazines I subscribe to and like:

Antique Automobile - AACA's own magazine for members, which is superb.

Collectible Automobile - A very classy independent antique auto enthusiast magazine, very nice quality, good in-depth articles, nice photography: http://www.amazon.com/Collectible-Automobile/dp/B000060MJ6

HMN - The "Old Original" mostly-classified-ads one which I still enjoy, plus HMN Sports & Exotics, plus HMN Classic Car (though probably going to drop Classic Car; I've never subscribed to the "Muscle Machines" third of the glossy trio, but I imagine it's probably very good also).

AutoWeek - Often just the right "bite-sized" portion of automotive news. I like it.

Hot VWs (old VW enthusiast scene for the US), and VolksWorld (old VW enthusiast scene for England & Europe). Both decent, but sometimes get rather "trendy"...

Beyond those, just various club publications, such as 356 Registry, Buick Bugle, and a few others of varying size & scope...

EDIT: Oh yeah, like a number of others have mentioned here, I also subscribe to and read Consumer Reports. It's always good to have more info than less, and the variety of different sources also adds to the interest. And another point that was just raised by TexRiv below is that I also find it easier & more preferable to read text on a printed page rather than on the computer screen.

Edited December 26, 2014 by stock_steve (see edit history)

[TexRiv_63]

I do NOT think Motor Trend magazine is junk, I have been a continuous subscriber since the mid 60s and just renewed for two more years. I am surprised at the negativity shown here for this magazine and many others from a group of supposed "car nuts". I will admit to being seriously car-obsessed my whole life. I currently get, and read, Motor Trend, Hot rod, Car Craft, HMN, HMN Classic Car, HMN Muscle Machines, Auto Restorer, Skinned Knuckles, Antique Automobile, and club publications from OCA, PAC, and PAS. I also get Consumer Reports and read a daily newspaper! The only publication I am not happy with is Car Craft which I will be dropping. Being 66 years old, I like the feel of a magazine in my hand rather than reading it online, although I am active in four online forums including this one and watch Motor Trend's very good YouTube channel. I am retired so I have time for all of this, but I did about 90% of it even when I still worked.

While my hobby car focus is old cars I have never limited my interest to one narrow field. I am fascinated with new cars and their technology for the same reason I am interested in old cars and their history. It is true that Motor Trend does a number of features on expensive exotic cars but they also do many comparison tests on normal family cars and trucks along with their yearly Car of the Year and Truck of the Year competitions. Are they biased by advertising? Possibly a bit but I can read Consumer Reports for a totally unbiased look - the problem there is that is kind of boring, I'd rather read both. And even though I will never own a Ferrari or Lamborghini I love learning about them!

[rocketraider]

I got tired of the smart-ass holier-than-thou tone a lot of the editors took. Add in they'd slam an American-built car for the exact same performance an Asian or European car delivered, and it just got old. Autoweek and C&D (same editorship coincidentally) were the absolute worst for that. I curtly cancelled C&D over the phone some 30 years ago, was how bad it pissed me off to read it. Wouldn't even let the remaining subscription expire- I wanted my money back if that dreck was the best they could deliver, and told them so.

I get way too many magazines (I have a rather wide range of interests) but all the car magazines I get now are AA, Collectible Automobile, Hemmings Classic Car (Muscle Machines got too caught up in the mega-bucks aspect of the hobby to suit me) and Auto Restorer. I still get OCW because once in a while they'll have a true jewel of an article.

Hot Rod, MT and others of that ilk? Boring. How many of us can realistically say we can afford the stuff they review? I sure can't.

Edited December 26, 2014 by rocketraider (see edit history)

[knee-action]

With reference to the last post...years ago Consumer Reports had raised American car bashing to an art form. I can remember an article where they rated the 2001 Toyota Corolla above the (virtually identical) 2001 Chevrolet Prizm because they "liked the Toyota dashboard layout a little better". Give me a break. Incidentally, my 2001 Prizm is getting ready to turn 100K miles. Bulletproof transportation. And a great dashboard.

[MarrsCars]

I gave up my Motor Trend and Automobile magazine subscriptions this year, and I have been a subscriber to Automobile for 27-years. They kept getting smaller and smaller, fewer pages I mean, and were so far behind the online sources I use that each issue already felt outdated by the time it arrived. I realized I don't just want "news" type magazines because of this and switched to those featuring actual journalism and long format articles that were well researched. Basically that meant buying European magazines such as Octane (you guys have to check it out if you like fine old Euro steel), Classic Mercedes and other similar types. They are costlier, usually $9-12 per issue which was probably what I paid for a full year or the others, but now I actually take the whole month to read through each issue thoroughly and most articles interest me in some way, as compared to flipping through the US magazines once, maybe reading two short articles and recycling it immediately afterwards.

Edited January 4, 2015 by MarrsCars
spelling/grammar (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

In a 1981 Car and Driver they had road tests of the new VW Rabbit and Chrysler Imperial. The Imperial, with fuel injection 318 V8, got the same highway mileage as the 4 cylinder 1500cc VW. They loved the VW, hated the Chrysler.

[smithbrother]

I as a kid, used to see the 8-page bible, haven't seen one in years, hehe.

I get Hot Rod, & Street Rodder, plus AutoWeek digital.

Dale in Indy

[Larry W]

I got tired of the smart-ass holier-than-thou tone a lot of the editors took. Add in they'd slam an American-built car for the exact same performance an Asian or European car delivered, and it just got old. Autoweek and C&D (same editorship coincidentally) were the absolute worst for that. I curtly cancelled C&D over the phone some 30 years ago, was how bad it pissed me off to read it. Wouldn't even let the remaining subscription expire- I wanted my money back if that dreck was the best they could deliver, and told them so.

I get way too many magazines (I have a rather wide range of interests) but all the car magazines I get now are AA, Collectible Automobile, Hemmings Classic Car (Muscle Machines got too caught up in the mega-bucks aspect of the hobby to suit me) and Auto Restorer. I still get OCW because once in a while they'll have a true jewel of an article.

Hot Rod, MT and others of that ilk? Boring. How many of us can realistically say we can afford the stuff they review? I sure can't.

I have to agree with the opinion about car reviews. On subjective issues such as ride quality, it seems like their butt cheeks get ultra sensitive when rating domestic vehicles. Consumer Reports is even more guilty.

[joe_padavano]

The MT car of the year has been a joke from the beginning. Some of the highlights:

1960 Chevy Corvair

1961 Pontiac Tempest (with the "magic fingers" slant four and rope drive)

1971 Chevy Vega

1972 Citroen SM

1973 Chevy Monte Carlo (the large, bloated 1973-77 body style)

1974 Ford Mustang II

1975 Chevy Monza V8 (lift the engine to change the plugs)

1976 Chryco Aspen/Volare (the only cars that rusted faster than the Vega)

1980 Chevy Citation

1983 AMC (Renault) Alliance

1984 Chevy Corvette (with 205 HP and the Nash 4+3 "skip-shift" trans)

1993 Ford Probe GT

There's a Tesla in there, too...

'nuf said.

[Guest BillP]

I notice a peculiarity with foreign magazines not shared with their domestic brethren. When rummaging through a closet or in the attic in search of some crucial gadget, if I find an old Octane or Classic & Sports Car, it invariably is like finding a brand new edition I've never seen before. I can read it for weeks, finding new insights and ads I'd not seen on the initial go-through. Not so much with an old US brand magazine.

To those who question my advancing senility as a cause more probable than foreigner's editorial acumen, I say, "What's that again?"