As an entirely hypothethical query, what do you folks like to see in a car mag?
I'm talking about the sort of ramblings of Staff Cars in PPC for example.

Do we like to see humour, lots of tech stuff, funny anecdotes, pictures of the success stories, pictures of the failures?
Do we like to read the personal stuff about the writers so we can build-up and image of these guys and possibly relate to the stuff they're doing/trying to do?
Do we like to read about their trips and exploits?

I'm interested for no other reason than I'm curious. I've certainly not been asked to write for the mag!

Cheers, Owelly.

I love the lot, but, the trips etc. are the last bits I read. Usually after the ads

TBH the last trip to the German classic show, in a boggo elise isn't the kind of article I buy the magazine for..

Engine being rebuilt, tips on tuning, gearbox tech and most of all guides to swapping engines and boxes around etc

Girls with next to nowt on with oily bits and spanners in hand

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Originally posted by coozer

Girls with next to nowt on with oily bits and spanners in hand

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I haven't bought a car mag. for many years now. Just seem to be ads. and pretencious (sp) waffle!
I get all the information I want from web based sources. Quicker, cheaper and with much more technical depth.

original material (most is rewarmed material), honest reviews (if its crap , say so - I know its a small world, but a bit of honesty would help), shoot outs (with scores on the comparisons), Well researched news sections - that arn't just letters from readers, group tests on products, how to's, reviews on tools.

Technical information is what I buy the mags for. Even for the adverts, see whats out there. I certainly read the sections were they follow cars. Its good to see what kind of obstacles people are dealing with, and how to get around it.

I don't read the 4 page special were they drive a 2CV based 3 wheeler through belgium..... thats pretty much when the mag is cut up and used to stop overspray when painting.

As much as I enjoy the web forums, its easier to take the magazine into the workshop and read a guide from it.

I like to see projects built up from scratch.
Don't mind a bit of humour,
The adds are useful.
But most of all I buy them coz I dont have a computer in the toilet..
Kipper.

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Originally posted by kipper
But most of all I buy them coz I dont have a computer in the toilet..
Kipper.

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I like to see humour in the writing and also for it to be informative. With PPC in particular the humour is there but they never finish off a project car. The list is endless, Chevette, The Escort EFi, the spaceframe Escort, the Transit, The Westfield, etc etc. I can go to the pub and talk unfinished projects with anyone.
The technical articles of late are much better but we need to see built examples. I like the readers cars where they have not just handed over a pile of cash, but have stil got a good finished car at the end of it

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Originally posted by spaximus
I like to see humour in the writing and also for it to be informative. With PPC in particular the humour is there but they never finish off a project car. The list is endless, Chevette, The Escort EFi, the spaceframe Escort, the Transit, The Westfield, etc etc. I can go to the pub and talk unfinished projects with anyone.
The technical articles of late are much better but we need to see built examples. I like the readers cars where they have not just handed over a pile of cash, but have stil got a good finished car at the end of it

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I know it makes me look old, but those boys at PPC need to sort their spelling out.

Vehicular trivia and tales of success with disaster and innovative solutions along the way is what I want.

I like the staff-car ramblings. Toby Unna turbo charging that BMW was good, and he can spell!

Matt

Cheers guys.
I'm pretty certain the project articles don't get completed because they don't get finished!! They start the articles before the cars are finished and then for whatever reason, they don't work-out. It would be nice for them to update us!
There has been much discussion over on the PPC forum about the spelling and most have agreed that it makes for some pedant fodder!!

Wonder what happened to the guy that won the Westy and was putting a horrible diseasal engine in it?

He was making a bit of a fist of some of the stuff in the last instalment...bits of wood used for brackets etc.

[Edited on 31/3/09 by MikeRJ]

Crispin I think his name was!
I seemed a bit odd that the comp to win the Westy revolved around getting your hands dirty and coming up with some innovative ideas. He came up with a crap idea, spent a few days waving his cheque book around and now he's dissolved into media nothingness.
They should have given it to me. I was going to put an Alfa V6 engine in it......

Its a real bug bear of mine. content free articles. So many articles have no content of value. They are cheap page fillers. So to carry on spouting from my soap box. Biggest hate is car brochures. What do you get? Pages and pages of marketing bable lots of pictures taken with strange filters so you cant see the colour of the car. if you are lucky at the end is a specification section written so you cant compare the models. BMW are my pet hate you need 2 brochures. one with pretty pictures and the other with features and tech spec. Sorry I meant optional extras. Rant over.

Ian

Its a real bug bear of mine. content free articles. So many articles have no content of value. They are cheap page fillers. So to carry on spouting from my soap box. Biggest hate is car brochures. What do you get? Pages and pages of marketing bable lots of pictures taken with strange filters so you cant see the colour of the car. if you are lucky at the end is a specification section written so you cant compare the models. BMW are my pet hate you need 2 brochures. one with pretty pictures and the other with features and tech spec. Sorry I meant optional extras. Rant over.

Ian