NZ Magazines - What do you think?
Discussion
I will keep my girly mags to myself! I read NZ Performance Car magazine which unfortunately is getting a bit tired because there are only so many GT-R's, RX3s, RX7s, Evos, WRX's, and VTEC Honda's you can look at before its all the same. The writing is ok and the presentation acceptable. I also read Autocar from time to time, mainly for the scoops they get on cars- ie going to international releases months before the car gets here. The level of reporting is very good.
Well, I must confess to being a user. yes, I have a habit-some may say a problem. It is not uncommon for me to walk out of a newsagents with auto tyrader, classic car, tarmac,speedsport,overdrive-that's just the nz auto stuff. then there are two local MTB mags+ Wilderness + NZ Adventure mag + a range of UK car and MTB wankmags. The writing in the NZ mags is very variable and the standard of copy lamentable compared with, say Evo mag, but I like to look at the pictures...
I think on the whole NZ car mags are pretty poor although for the population size, it's not that bad. I think the pick of them has to be NZPerformance car though (I can't stand it personally but the format seems to work and it's well put together) and they're the most popular car mag in the country so they must be doing something right... getting all the spotty thirteen year olds to part with their pocket money.
Autocar isn't half bad either... Classic Car USED to be good... it's glossier now but seems less and less true to what it should be about... Tarmag ain't a bad magazine but it's a low-budget wonder.... I think they all do pretty well given their limited circulation, but on the whole not up to the standard of many of the international publications.
Autocar isn't half bad either... Classic Car USED to be good... it's glossier now but seems less and less true to what it should be about... Tarmag ain't a bad magazine but it's a low-budget wonder.... I think they all do pretty well given their limited circulation, but on the whole not up to the standard of many of the international publications.
They're all pants!
NZ Classic Car is alright but only because it's so cheap.
I used to buy Evo (Performance Car) as it was the closest thing to my mentality. Two reasons I don't buy it now, is 1. Price ($16.00 an out of date copy) and 2. Their website usually has the road tests I want to read before they arrive in NZ (unless you want to pay $22.00 for the latest air-freighted example!).
The best value mag out there (and it's very expensive in NZ) is Classic & Sportscar. It has excellent articles and tons of ads which are additional rather than instead of the other content. Besides, there are few things as pleasurable in life than sitting on the thrown with a copy of C&SC fantasising over which cars you'd have if you were Sir Richard Branson (I always come to the conclusion I'd need Disney World's carpark for my collection!
)
Searching the 'net usually finds what you want and Pistonheads ain't a bad place to start!
NZ Classic Car is alright but only because it's so cheap.
I used to buy Evo (Performance Car) as it was the closest thing to my mentality. Two reasons I don't buy it now, is 1. Price ($16.00 an out of date copy) and 2. Their website usually has the road tests I want to read before they arrive in NZ (unless you want to pay $22.00 for the latest air-freighted example!).
The best value mag out there (and it's very expensive in NZ) is Classic & Sportscar. It has excellent articles and tons of ads which are additional rather than instead of the other content. Besides, there are few things as pleasurable in life than sitting on the thrown with a copy of C&SC fantasising over which cars you'd have if you were Sir Richard Branson (I always come to the conclusion I'd need Disney World's carpark for my collection!
) Searching the 'net usually finds what you want and Pistonheads ain't a bad place to start!
Ditto!All pants!Got my hands on "Motorsport Mag" yesterday..........Ahh....at last a half decent read.Shame N.Z. can,t do something on the lines of EVO Mag...Best Mag in the world (EVO doesn,t mean they cover just Jap cars).Way to much Jap stuff with nothing in between or Holden/Ford face offs every week...with the SS this or the SC that. These companys seem to bring out a different "Badge" for these things every other week.Funny thing happened last week....I get out of Viper and kid asks me if i like the Holden or Ford best?........He was a rather miffed when i said that i though both were shite cars and don,t hold my attention in any shape or form.Problem with N.Z is that most Euro/Brit sport and Supercars are either "Banned" or unless your one of the "chosen ones" could never be afforded buy anyone here!........sadly a country without ,Marco,Stelth,TVR,Aston,Morgan,Ultima, ,Noble,Zonda,Macca,to name just a few makes for little for the Mags to scribe about,and the games about selling mags not tantalising us with cars were never see in N.Z or afford.Sad but true.
Thanks for the replies guys.
I am always amazed at how expensive the magazines here are. Fortunately I have a flatmate who doesn't seem to care, and supplies me with the latest and greatest. but $21 for a fresh copy of car? I mean, I did pay like $9 in the US for it, but still. Not to mention that NZ AutoCar (which seems to be the best general mag) is what $8.50 an issue, and something crazy like $85 a year to subscribe. Compare that with say Car and Driver, which is like US$4 an issue, and they always have deals to subscribe for like $12.95 a year. The reality is that magazines make their money on advertising, not from the newstand or subscriptions. So you would think it would be in the best interest of them to keep prices low, and get lots of subscribers. Guess not.
I am always amazed at how expensive the magazines here are. Fortunately I have a flatmate who doesn't seem to care, and supplies me with the latest and greatest. but $21 for a fresh copy of car? I mean, I did pay like $9 in the US for it, but still. Not to mention that NZ AutoCar (which seems to be the best general mag) is what $8.50 an issue, and something crazy like $85 a year to subscribe. Compare that with say Car and Driver, which is like US$4 an issue, and they always have deals to subscribe for like $12.95 a year. The reality is that magazines make their money on advertising, not from the newstand or subscriptions. So you would think it would be in the best interest of them to keep prices low, and get lots of subscribers. Guess not.
venom500 said:
Ditto!All pants!Got my hands on "Motorsport Mag" yesterday..........Ahh....at last a half decent read.Shame N.Z. can,t do something on the lines of EVO Mag...Best Mag in the world (EVO doesn,t mean they cover just Jap cars).Way to much Jap stuff with nothing in between or Holden/Ford face offs every week...with the SS this or the SC that. These companys seem to bring out a different "Badge" for these things every other week.Funny thing happened last week....I get out of Viper and kid asks me if i like the Holden or Ford best?........He was a rather miffed when i said that i though both were shite cars and don,t hold my attention in any shape or form.Problem with N.Z is that most Euro/Brit sport and Supercars are either "Banned" or unless your one of the "chosen ones" could never be afforded buy anyone here!........sadly a country without ,Marco,Stelth,TVR,Aston,Morgan,Ultima, ,Noble,Zonda,Macca,to name just a few makes for little for the Mags to scribe about,and the games about selling mags not tantalising us with cars were never see in N.Z or afford.Sad but true.
Sentiments echoed..... I think as a matter of fact the Aussie ones are the WORST in the world... period!
Take a look at "wheels"... there is ALWAYS, ALWAYS a Falcoon/Commonwhore face-off, sometimes with a Magna thrown in for contrast. There's nearly always a performance car review, which is almost always a WRX or an Evo and then there are a few other bits and pieces that are so badly written none of the aussies seem to notice because they only seem to buy it for the two aforementioned articles.... I'm all for writing for your target audience but yeah... they suck.
Theres a gaping hole in the NZ market as far as I can see.
Magazines about new cars are pretty much a waste of time as you can find out newer information from more sources on the internet.
NZ Performance car is far too ricey and theres just different colour versions of the same cars over and over again.
Fast fours as far as modernish cars is probably the pic of the southern hemisphere ones. Hot 4s is rubbish, you cant even see the cars cause they have girls all over them and the cars are always ugly.
NZ Classic car I buy from time to time when I see an interesting one but thats only once every few months at best, theres not enough in it to capture me on an average month.
Some of the UK magazines are pretty good like C&SC and Thoroughbred & Classic Car (does that still even exist?) but $20 for a magazine is alot of money for something thats over 1/2 adds for cars you cant buy here anyway.
NZ is lacking a magazine for modified older style cars, Theres plenty of circuit cars around or modifed early 70s jappas that arnt rotaries or full of tvs and modern running gear. Basically the equivalent of Retro Cars. Once I get my Datsun finished it wont have a show of getting into Classic car unless somehow it turns Aussie/European/American or turns into a 240Z and it wont get into NZ Performance car as it wont have a flash modern turbo motor or a bright red interior or something unbefitting, what other options do I have...none
Magazines about new cars are pretty much a waste of time as you can find out newer information from more sources on the internet.
NZ Performance car is far too ricey and theres just different colour versions of the same cars over and over again.
Fast fours as far as modernish cars is probably the pic of the southern hemisphere ones. Hot 4s is rubbish, you cant even see the cars cause they have girls all over them and the cars are always ugly.
NZ Classic car I buy from time to time when I see an interesting one but thats only once every few months at best, theres not enough in it to capture me on an average month.
Some of the UK magazines are pretty good like C&SC and Thoroughbred & Classic Car (does that still even exist?) but $20 for a magazine is alot of money for something thats over 1/2 adds for cars you cant buy here anyway.
NZ is lacking a magazine for modified older style cars, Theres plenty of circuit cars around or modifed early 70s jappas that arnt rotaries or full of tvs and modern running gear. Basically the equivalent of Retro Cars. Once I get my Datsun finished it wont have a show of getting into Classic car unless somehow it turns Aussie/European/American or turns into a 240Z and it wont get into NZ Performance car as it wont have a flash modern turbo motor or a bright red interior or something unbefitting, what other options do I have...none
Pretty much
Rotaries are appreciated as so are 240Zs and maybe a Datsun 1600 if it had an SR20 or CA18 in it, but not with a carby motor.
Im intrigued so many people consider buying mags about new cars. What is it you get out of them that you cant get from sites like Pistonheads other than perhaps nz specific stuff like prices that isnt that hard to find anyway?
Rotaries are appreciated as so are 240Zs and maybe a Datsun 1600 if it had an SR20 or CA18 in it, but not with a carby motor.
Im intrigued so many people consider buying mags about new cars. What is it you get out of them that you cant get from sites like Pistonheads other than perhaps nz specific stuff like prices that isnt that hard to find anyway?
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