I have an employment opportunity with a regional (Texas-only) automotive-focused magazine. The more I know about this industry, the stronger my negotiating position. We settle the contract on Monday. I'd like to hear from you as to which auto magazines you read and why. Please tell me:

The magazines' titles and why you read it/them:

#1 most important reason you read each magazine(s):

How do you feel about articles with comparison charts (one model vs. another)?:

Would you also like to have additional life-style editorial, e.g., local travel, food, etc?

Approx. time spent reading the magazine(s):

Do you subscribe or buy it off the shelf?:

The number of cars you own, their age and make:

Your age:

The YODSTER
Thanks for the help.

1. Excellence - For the Porsches
2. VW Trends - For the VWs
3. Hot VWs - For the VWs

I don't really like comparisons. Waste of time IMHO since it's all subjective. People hate all cars and people love all cars.

I don't travel much, so I don't need visitor info.

Probably 4-5 hours total time for all magazines, split into 10-15 min segments.

Subscribe.

73 914
68 Mustang
71 MG

25 (i think)

1. Excellence (buy it every issue)
2. Panorama (duh)
3. Street Rodder (subscribe)
4. Car & Driver (subscribe)

Some comparisons are a bunch of crap, but some are good to read. Lifestyle articles usually don't interest me because I don't seem to fit into anyone's preconceived ideas.

Age 35

97 Range Rover
72 914 2.0
74 914-6 2.7

Joe, you old sack of .........

Excellence
R & T
Grassroots MS
SportsCar
Pano
Motorsport (the best car rag on earth)

Reason?....sumthin' to do while settin' on the head.

Comparo's sux

I have no life, thus no style

See head, above

Suscribe & buy

4 vehicles.....50% are black

Older than you.

Joe,

Best of luck with the interview!

I subscribe to nothing -- to much junk mail from having my personal bits bought and sold. They always want things like your blood type and your age. Oh. wait a minute. AB-

But I buy most editions of Excellence and any other Pcar related mag (at least a few). I'm a P club member, so include Pano. Some comparison articles are good (read a great early vs late turbo article, and an early vs late 911S article) Don't care much about the other car species.

Reading is mostly a weekend activity -- 1 - 2 hrs, depending on what mags arrived. I mostly just wanna lean How Stuff Works!

hth.

kim.

I get...

Road & Track - So I can read about other cars besides Porsche. I a major fan of Peter Eagan too.

Excellence - Duh, for the Porsches! By far my favorite eye-candy mag. I usually treat it like Playboy. The articles only get read after I've oogled the pictures.

Pano - I get it, but rarely read more than the classifieds.

Just started to get Car & Driver - Real World cars have some interest and the subscription price was just too good to pass up. Buy two get ten free.

I also get an Auto Art magazine for paint and RC body inspiration.

That's all of the Auto related stuff that comes in the mail. I mostly read the single car and lifestyle articles.

Auto week for 10 years at least, good all around coverage

Bernie

In order of preference

Excellence - Best Porsche mag and not "wine and cheese" crowd stuff. They actually have 914 contentf
Panorama - because I belong to PCA - good tech articles
European Car - keep up on the latest products... high German car conent - no rice crap
Road & Track - good toilet reading material on all that's new in cars
Saveur - sort of a blend between Gourmet and CondeNast Traveller
Shotgun Sports - learn how to target redshift better
Sporting Clays - again more "target" practice
PC World - stopped reading it lately... I'm sick of computers
Smithsonian - because my wife "decided" to make a donation (they send me TWO each month... and we've called!
Big'uns magazine - umm.... no... I don't get that... how'd that get there?

I usually get mags based on my interests (hobbies). From above you can tell I like European cars (mostly German), cooking, shotgun sports, science/history, and computers


How do you feel about articles with comparison charts (one model vs. another)?:

Comparison's are okay. I like the Hi's and Low's and the verdict. I like the comparison charts. See which one performs the best overall.

Would you also like to have additional life-style editorial, e.g., local travel, food, etc?

Don't care.

Approx. time spent reading the magazine(s):

Honest, mostly on the crapper. So 15 minutes or so each day. Sometimes I will open up a new issue and read it in the kitchen after I get the mail, if a cover article looks really good.

Do you subscribe or buy it off the shelf?:

Mostly subscribe. Sometimes I buy when I travel (airplane reading material)

The number of cars you own, their age and make:

2001 Porsche Boxster, '75 Porsche 914, 2002 Chevy Suburban

I have 914s, and I think auto magazines should have more stuff about guitars.

I don't read too many magazines.


M

Autoweek: don't have to wait a month to hear/read about auto *stuff*

European Car: Porsche/Audi/VW

EuroTuner: nice to see Audi/VW get their 'SportCompact/Turbo/Import Tuner' time

Excellence: Porsche, and cause I don't care for Pano

Playboy: Umm, that's not auto-related is it?


I like comparo's

have additional life-style editorial: yeah, I like/I'd like that also

Time spent reading: all month

Subscribe to all

1973 Porsche 1.7 914

40yrs old

Is this a joke? C&D, R&T, HOT ROD, Grassroot Motorsport, DRIVE!, Hemmings, Pano, Pantera profiles, Autoweek, Import Tuner, Sport Compact Tuner, Motor Age, Underhood Service, SAIL, 48D North, Norwesting, Automobile, SuperFord, Northwest Motor, GM TechLink, ModifiedMag, SportsCarInternational, NHRA, Sunset. And the usual Pcar stuff. Comparissons are for bathroom reading, My lifestyle is cars or sailboats, period. Iam to ocupied building or repairing friends rides to have any additional time for mine!

Subscribe (pay) to the following:
Exc911ance = Good reading
Panorama = PCA member so it's free???
Machinist's Workshop (Bi-monthly) = Great ideas for the DIY'r
Home Shop Machinest (Bi-monthly) = See above mag


These are free and pertain to my profession:

Design News,
New Products and Devolpments,
Semiconductor International,
Machine Design
and
Modern Castings

Once in a while I'll buy:
RifleShooter, BON APPÉTIT, CAR, Muscle & Fitness, American Iron

Karl, next time you come to CA, we'll have to go trap/skeet shooting

Some comparisons are "interesting", i read them with a grain of salt

Mostly read in the office (until my legs or @ss fall asleep and I damn near fall on the floor trying to walk away )

Vehicles owned:
'74 914
'91 911 C2
'98 Volvo S70 T5
'01 Ford F150 SuperCrew
'03 Hyndia Elanta GT

Thanks to everybody for your responses. Unfortunately, I've turned down this employment opp as I learned the founders had done some business in an unethical manner, and when combined with all the other drawbacks, I decided I'd keep looking.

Hopefully, I can land a job working for/repping some legitimate auto mags, so that's the angle I'm now pursuing.

This is good information. Thanks!

The YODSTER
Need work, will travel.

Damned it. I wanted to do the survey, but Yoder turned the stupid job down.

I cant think of any car mags based in Dallas.

How long have you been out of work Joe ??


B

In order of preference

Road Racing Wolrd
Road Racer X - New ..SWEET!
Sport Rider
Motorcyclist
Cycle World
Dirt Racer X - MotoX coverage
European Car - Has gone upscale recently and down my list of good reads
Excellence - Just subscribed
Grass Roots - Tried it, not enough of anything.

From above you can tell I like BIKES! and European cars

How do you feel about articles with comparison charts (one model vs. another)?:

Must have. Comparison charts are vital. Toee which one performs the best overall.

Would you also like to have additional life-style editorial, e.g., local travel, food, etc?

Completely usless!

Approx. time spent reading the magazine(s):

Perhaps 1.5 hrs a Week.

Do you subscribe or buy it off the shelf?:

Mostly subscribe. Sometimes I buy when I travel (airplane reading material)

The number of cars (Bikes)you own, their age and make:

95.5 Audi S6 Avant
74 Porsche 914 2.0 (project)
73 Porsche 914S Driver
92 Ford Ranger 4x4 STX
----
86 GSXR 955 Classic Superbike (Race)
71 Kawasaki H1R (500cc two stroke triple, Race)
92 KTM 620SX MOTOX (Race)
97 Honda VFR750F Street
92 Honda XR100 (dirt) Trainer
90 Suzuki JR50 Pit bike/Sons first
74 Honda CB350G Wifes toy (street)

My subscriptions and why

Excellence=best of the bunch
Panorama=pca membership, nice pics, pricey classifieds
Road & Track=peter egan, people and places
Car & Driver=brock yates
European Car=nice mix of tastful tuner cars
911 Magazine=not good yet but maybe someday
Motor trend=worthless rag, it was a gift