Hemmings Motor News

[Xander Wildeisen]

I do not see any fluff in Hemmings Motor News. I see it as one of the only magazines that touches on all aspects of the car world/market. Looking at the custom/street rod magazines, I do not see ads for shipping companies, sections for dealers and auctions. I know that the format of the magazines are different, and play to a different segment of the market place. That is why I think Hemmings stands out, in ether print or online form. The classic/collector car market place, ranges from a bombed out VW Beetle, to a 30+ million dollar piece of automotive history/rolling art. It is good to showcase all levels of the collector car world,  the ads for auctions/dealers are the only way a lot of people get to see some of these great classics. I would go to the auctions in AZ as a vacation just to see the cars for sale by different auction houses. A lot more fun then going to a museum. They do not start up cars and move them around the museum when you are there. I like to get the Hemmings magazine, yes I can get it on a lap top, or smart phone. But I can give my printed copy to someone that has interest in looking for a classic/collector car.

[tomcarnut]

I look at Hemmings Ads online public site about every day. I found my 1912 McLaughlin Buick online about 13 years ago. My dad  subscripted for years as did I after leaving home in the 80's. I now get Hemmings Classic Car and just sent in a subscription for the Hard copy of Hemmings as I enjoy the articles in it and can pass along to young friends along with having access to the online version. I decided to sign up as a I my source of hand me down hard copy moved away.

 

I missed reading the auction reports and other articles.

 

Tom Muth

Cincinnati, Ohio

[alsancle]

By fluff I mean the editors articles which I tend to glance at but usually lose interest.  Solid auction reporting requires real work and experts (And I think even SCM goof it up sometimes - or often) so while that section may be popular it is wildly inaccurate - hence it is "fluff'.  Letters to the editor, the auction ads, etc are all in the fluff category too.

 

I have fond memories like most of you and I don't have such a cold heart as to not feel bad for the plight of any printed publication these days.  But, also there have been conscious decisions about the content that I don't like.   Perhaps I have fully made the transition from younger collector to old hoot.

[Walt G]

I completely agree with what John S in Penna has to say in comment 27.

Online and digital is a given way of life now, but it is the printed hard copy be it a magazine, book etc. is my personal preference.

I do take a personal survey sometimes when I am near a major chain bookseller like Barnes & Noble.

I go to the magazine section and know that there are usually 6 to 8 copies put out of the major collector car magazines each month for the new issue. I was even  able to

see and talk to the magazine distributor and ask him once "how many issues do you put out each month?" He gave me the 6 to 8 number.

Hemming's Classic Car magazine disappears almost immediately, At most, perhaps one issue still lingers there occasionally by the time the new issue comes out.

People pass on magazines for others to read; So if one subscribes and passes the issue on , I don't think it is unrealistic to say a total of 4 to 5 people read that one issue.

[Doug Novak]

We're lucky we get our own Club Magazine  "Antique Automobile" which is of such excellent quality. This one plus another very high quality Club Magazine that I get is  "Panorama" from PCA. Both are worth the membership fees alone and specific to the Hobby. It's interesting that a Club can make a better Magazine for Members only, affordable verse News Stand Magazines.

Hemmings canceled the one news stand subscription I enjoyed, "Sport and Exotic Cars", but to fill that void I get Road and Track which is OK but not nearly the Quality of the Club Magazines.

[1912Staver]

Hi Doug, I agree "Antique Automobile" is a very good magazine. However for many non- U.S. potential members it becomes quite expensive.  Given the fact that AACA club activities in the Pacific N.W. are thin on the ground the club dues are in effect the subscription price of the magazine. I could subscribe to the entire Hemmings digital edition line up { currently on special for $20.00 U.S. or about $27.00 Cdn.} and still be paying  about 1/2 of the cost of 6 issues of "Antique Automobile" { $45.00 U.S. or about $60.00 Cdn}. Club membership is a great thing provided there is a possibility to participate in activities , but in my case up here in the "Frozen North" { just kidding, I am actually about 10 minutes from Washington State} there are very few AACA events. A digital AACA membership option would be most welcome.

 

Greg in Canada 

Edited April 5, 2017 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Doug Novak]

Greg you make a valid point that I understand. I'm lucky to live in Pennsylvania 45 minutes from Hershey, where the AACA HQ and Fall Meet is held, and actively do the Meets in the area, driving to them in my 68 AMX. It's good to hear from the outer area's so we can get together here on the Form.  Hemmings stirred up a Hornets Nest between us and the Museum, and now with the big price increase I think they need to back off. Seems like they're having huge financial problems doesn't it? I would not be surprised if the price increase hurts them even more. I've experienced other Magazines that upped their Subscription prices and when I refused to resubscribe they would come back with "special" prices, much lower?

[poci1957]

Hey Daniel Strohl, I would like to commend "Hemmings" for expanding and doing a good job with the glossy magazines.  I haven't subscribed to Hemmings itself for years as I do not buy and sell much, but I subscribed to "Special Interest Autos" for years and was later a charter subscriber to "Hemmings Classic Car" and "Muscle Machines" (which was later replaced by "Sports and Exotic" as my tastes changed).  I commend you for consistently excellent content and editorial columns, note I especially enjoy the "Detroit Underdog" and "I Was There" articles.  I will miss "Sports and Exotic" but hope you keep up the good work on "Classic Car", Todd C

[ejboyd5]

Unfortunately the entire Hemmings empire is circling the drain.  The stopper was pulled a little further out and the drainage increased with the demise of SPORT & EXOTIC CAR last month.  How much longer the remainder can survive is anyone's guess.  Hemmings had a good thing going, but felt it wise to expand their product line with subsidiary print publications at a time when other publishers were exploring transition into electronic media. Our 20/20 vision as provided by retrospection shows this to have been a fatal step.

[John_S_in_Penna]

19 hours ago, ejboyd5 said:

Unfortunately the entire Hemmings empire is circling the drain....  How much longer the remainder can survive is anyone's guess. ...

 

I think, with their expertise and true devotion to

the hobby, their company can survive as long as

there are car fans--which will be a very long time.

 

As long as there are cars, there will be old cars--

and car fans to some degree or another.

Edited April 6, 2017 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[victorialynn2]

I have a soft spot for HMN. As a child I read my father's issues. I have always enjoyed thumbing through the entire magazine. I'm a little annoyed at it now because I have 5+ decades of heavy boxes of them I'm trying to get down from tall shelves in my father's garage and haul off somewhere. Those older issues are very heavy! Lol. Truth be told I haven't thrown one box away yet as I keep hoping someone will want them. 

I subscribe only to the online version now which works well for me. I like the hard copies but with so many back issues right now I can't see ordering it. 

I put an ad in a few months ago for a car but I sold it via a Facebook group with an eBay link before it was even in the printed version. I did however get a few calls on it from the issue it appeared in and will probably sell some flathead engines and parts as a result. 

I agree that it's helpful to see the advertisers. As someone who is liquidating my father's collection, both the website and the older hard copies have been invaluable as a pricing tool, vendor and parts resource and has helped me identify many items as well. I use other online resources too, but sometimes it is just easier to pick up dad's hard copies. 

I still enjoy reading it cover to cover. It has brought some familiarity to me in a very challenging process of liquidating my father's life. I was so relieved it was still available and I hope it's around for a lot longer even though I'm sure things will have to change to keep up with the world. 

 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

VL, the traditional HMN copies are not that easy to give away.  Those generally go to my father who then passes them on or trashes them.  HMN Classic Car and a couple of other magazines sometimes find their way to a nursing home via a relative who works there - the big brown book though, is a little tough for the clients to read.  I understand the other magazines are a hit though.

 

I would not feel too badly about getting rid of them, but maybe someone local will see your post and reach out.

 

I think EJ Boyd is correct on the general trends for printed matter.  A few years back there was a publication called "Prewar Auto Notes" (or very similar) which was great - all content, no ads, well done.  Didn't last.  Some might site lack of interest but that to me is short sited, you take a look online and there are a lot of choices in terms of online subscriptions, free forums, club forums and sites that are semi private, etc. it must be really tough to get a magazine of any type off the ground these days.

 

Current favorites of mine include of course the Antique Automobile & the MBCA Star, both very high quality magazines.  The national Ford clubs put out a nice publication as well, although a lot of coverage in those is devoted to meet updates, they kind of feel like the same issue over and over, yet there is always that nugget or two in there.

 

I stumbled upon a flier I received in the mail a few months ago for a new magazine called "Mascot" geared towards Concours level cars.  It looked interesting but I did not bite partly because I don't want to drop $50 or so on something that might fizzle out after 5 or 6 issues when the seed money runs out.  I have heard nothing about it since either - has anyone else?   I wonder, with AQ gone, if a market exists for a real high end magazine that has a more broad coverage than say the Classic Car (CCCA pub) which is great, but of course focused solely on CCCA cars by design.

[H.M.X]

16 hours ago, poci1957 said:

Hey Daniel Strohl, I would like to commend "Hemmings" for expanding and doing a good job with the glossy magazines.  I haven't subscribed to Hemmings itself for years as I do not buy and sell much, but I subscribed to "Special Interest Autos" for years and was later a charter subscriber to "Hemmings Classic Car" and "Muscle Machines" (which was later replaced by "Sports and Exotic" as my tastes changed).  I commend you for consistently excellent content and editorial columns, note I especially enjoy the "Detroit Underdog" and "I Was There" articles.  I will miss "Sports and Exotic" but hope you keep up the good work on "Classic Car", Todd C

 

Thanks! I'll pass on your compliments.

[H.M.X]

16 hours ago, ejboyd5 said:

Unfortunately the entire Hemmings empire is circling the drain.  The stopper was pulled a little further out and the drainage increased with the demise of SPORT & EXOTIC CAR last month.  How much longer the remainder can survive is anyone's guess.  Hemmings had a good thing going, but felt it wise to expand their product line with subsidiary print publications at a time when other publishers were exploring transition into electronic media. Our 20/20 vision as provided by retrospection shows this to have been a fatal step.

 

We certainly weren't happy to discontinue Sports and Exotic Car, and that decision wasn't made lightly. However, while that magazine was not profitable, the company overall is and remains healthy.

 

As for the transition to electronic media, have you visited Hemmings.com lately? We have plenty more to offer than just print magazines.

[H.M.X]

9 hours ago, victorialynn2 said:

I have a soft spot for HMN. As a child I read my father's issues. I have always enjoyed thumbing through the entire magazine. I'm a little annoyed at it now because I have 5+ decades of heavy boxes of them I'm trying to get down from tall shelves in my father's garage and haul off somewhere. Those older issues are very heavy! Lol. Truth be told I haven't thrown one box away yet as I keep hoping someone will want them. 

I subscribe only to the online version now which works well for me. I like the hard copies but with so many back issues right now I can't see ordering it. 

I put an ad in a few months ago for a car but I sold it via a Facebook group with an eBay link before it was even in the printed version. I did however get a few calls on it from the issue it appeared in and will probably sell some flathead engines and parts as a result. 

I agree that it's helpful to see the advertisers. As someone who is liquidating my father's collection, both the website and the older hard copies have been invaluable as a pricing tool, vendor and parts resource and has helped me identify many items as well. I use other online resources too, but sometimes it is just easier to pick up dad's hard copies. 

I still enjoy reading it cover to cover. It has brought some familiarity to me in a very challenging process of liquidating my father's life. I was so relieved it was still available and I hope it's around for a lot longer even though I'm sure things will have to change to keep up with the world. 

 

 

Victoria, not sure what your plans for those boxes and boxes of back issues are, but we often recommend to subscribers looking to "re-home" their back issues that they donate them to area veterans homes or high schools.

[TerryB]

Hemmings Classic car is a GREAT magazine!  The cars covered in it cover the range of the hobby, from fully restored to survivor.  I especially like the owner comments included in the story.  Restoration work shown for some of the cars adds to the storyline and gives the reader a look at the highs and lows of restoration work.

 

Keep up the good work.

Terry

[Bob Hill]

One word - "internet".  Since the invention of the internet, magazines like HMN have lost their niche.  There was a time where you had to rely on HMN for parts availability but not you can search for it online and have it to your house in almost the time it takes to read HMN. 

 

It is sad though - reading HMN when I was a young boy is what got me excited about the old car hobby - and still am 45 years later

 

Bob

Edited April 6, 2017 by Bob Hill (see edit history)

[AC Fuhrman]

LOVE my Hemmings - have one sitting right here on my desk now. (It's calling me away from my work!)

Have an HMN magnet on one of our drawers along with a bunch of Rock Autos and Insurance Cos - makes visitors ask "Who's the car-guy?"

 

 

[60FlatTop]

49 minutes ago, H.M.X said:

donate them to area veterans homes

 

Have any of those recommending actually done it?....... more than once?

 

The print is way too small and the pages are much too thin for old, palsied fingers. Please, do a video of the next group of recipients.

 

I'm just imagining a big stack in the corner of the solarium that got wet while watering the plants. Everyone sniffing and looking at Elmer.

 

My Wife works in a library and the stories about donations have tears in my eyes right now. People, those wonderful acts of kindness have collateral consequences you could never imagine. And it is usually drop off, what a good deed I have done. Not meaning to be totally cynical, but.

Bernie

 

Edited April 6, 2017 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[62BillT]

51 minutes ago, H.M.X said:

As for the transition to electronic media, have you visited Hemmings.com lately? We have plenty more to offer than just print magazines.

 

Evidently you need to be a paying subscriber to get full access of Hemmings.com.  As a current non-subscriber, I am getting some online, but very little.

 

Is this correct?  

 

 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Correct Bill.  Sounds like one could subscribe to online only, but one advantage of being a paper subscriber is access to the online stuff as well - at least that is my understanding, have not used it in a while however when I was last seriously looking for another car I was able to log into current ads with my subscriber number.  (one is always looking, but seriously looking is another thing entirely!)

 

 

[H.M.X]

55 minutes ago, 62BillT said:

 

Evidently you need to be a paying subscriber to get full access of Hemmings.com.  As a current non-subscriber, I am getting some online, but very little.

 

Is this correct?  

 

 

 

We do restrict the last few months of our glossy magazine stories to paying subscribers. However, any stories earlier than that are available to subscribers and non-subscribers alike. Take a cruise through, for example, our Hemmings Classic Car archives prior to February 2017.

 

https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hcc

 

The Hemmings Daily (https://www.hemmings.com/blog/) is also 100 percent free to both subscribers and non-subscribers alike, as are our online classifieds (https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/).

[CarNucopia]

I've switched to the digital version and enjoy reading Hemmings as much as I always have over the last 25 years. I do miss the joy of opening my mailbox and finding a fresh issue. My only complaint is the file size of each issue is huge and can hog a lot of my iPad's memory. Probably time to upgrade the iPad. 

Edited April 6, 2017 by Buick64C (see edit history)

[alsancle]

On 4/6/2017 at 11:57 AM, 60FlatTop said:

 

My Wife works in a library and the stories about donations have tears in my eyes right now. People, those wonderful acts of kindness have collateral consequences you could never imagine. And it is usually drop off, what a good deed I have done. Not meaning to be totally cynical, but.

Bernie

 

 

My dad inherited every issue of National Geographic from about 1900 to 1960.  Boxes and boxes.   NOBODY wanted them, especially the local libraries.   On the other hand, I have gone out of my way to collect prewar issues of Motor and Automobile Topics, as well as every issue of Road and Track from the 40s and 50s.

 

[JACK M]

I buy a few HMN calendars each year. I made the mistake several years ago and now they are expected for Christmas gifts.

With all the free calendars that I get every year it is difficult to justify what I think is a very high price for their 'Abandoned Autos' calendar.

However I do have one here by my own desk.

[62BillT]

By the way, since my first post, I did re-run another ad in HMN.  Since the rules have changed, I just re-wrote another ad and dropped the Bold print to save some on the increase.  Still want to be a customer as long as I can.   Hope it can continue on to prosper. 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2017 by 62BillT (see edit history)

[SC38dls]

I saw an HMN ad for a Jag MK IX in Vancouver that looked and sounded like what I was looking for at the time. After many phone calls and additional pics sent a trip from Lexington Ky was taken only to find out the pics were 20 years old and the description was a fairytale.  Found another in NJ. Told the owner I didn't want to have the same experience and was assured it was not the case. Same result. I had seen the ad for the car pictured above in HMN for a few months but it was one very blurry front end pic and a limited description. So my interest was very low. It was about 100 miles from home so a Saturday adventure was in order. I called the owner and set up a meeting. When he opened the garage door my expectations were pleasantly surprise with a car that matched the description and pics the owner had sent me. The ads in HMN can be very misleading for a number of reasons but they give us a very good place to at least start a search for what we are looking for. I like the publications and know they can not control what is actually being sold or if the seller is giving accurate information. The ads actual cost are usually a small percentage of any of these cars selling price. I have always felt adversting cost when selling  and wasted trips when buying are just part of being in this hobby. When I think of the cost difference between a flight and an ad the ad is cheap.  In my opinion HMN is a good selling tool for the cost. Have fun 

[Xander Wildeisen]

9 hours ago, JACK M said:

I buy a few HMN calendars each year. I made the mistake several years ago and now they are expected for Christmas gifts.

With all the free calendars that I get every year it is difficult to justify what I think is a very high price for their 'Abandoned Autos' calendar.

However I do have one here by my own desk.

When I want to see abandoned autos, I just look at my unfinished projects.

[John_S_in_Penna]

12 hours ago, SC38DLS said:

... I like the publications and know they can not control what is actually being sold or if the seller is giving accurate information. ...I have always felt advertising cost when selling  and wasted trips when buying are just part of being in this hobby. ...

 

When you run into a blatant case of misrepresentation,

like you describe, be sure to report the seller to Hemmings

Motor News.  They should look into the situation, and they

ban dishonest sellers.  Do your part to clean up the hobby,

and you'll likely save someone else the same regretful experience.

 

Let's keep our hobby clean and enjoyable!

[62BillT]

18 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

 

When you run into a blatant case of misrepresentation,

like you describe, be sure to report the seller to Hemmings

Motor News.  They should look into the situation, and they

ban dishonest sellers.  Do your part to clean up the hobby,

and you'll likely save someone else the same regretful experience.

 

Let's keep our hobby clean and enjoyable!

 

I ran into a Scammer once in Hemmings.  He got my $25 Deposit, but that was it.  The next step proved to me he was a Scammer.  I reported him to Hemmings and his big fancy block ads dis-appeared soon after.  

[SC38dls]

3 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

 

When you run into a blatant case of misrepresentation,

like you describe, be sure to report the seller to Hemmings

Motor News.  They should look into the situation, and they

ban dishonest sellers.  Do your part to clean up the hobby,

and you'll likely save someone else the same regretful experience.

 

Let's keep our hobby clean and enjoyable!

John I did let HMN know and the ads were gone next issue.  I will remember to check future issues for the same car showing up under a different seller just to be sure.  

Edited April 27, 2017 by SC38DLS (see edit history)