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Thread: Why do car magazines from the UK have to be SO expensive?

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by :Exige:
    Evo and Top Gear are huge magazines with excellent photography and incredibly indepth writing. Quality costs money.
    I understand photographs take money but I'm not very sure if writing does too much. Then again it's probably the ideology. Just look at the difference though - about 490. That's nearly how much I earn on one job per month.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ludo
    Awesome. A one-year subscription to Sport-Auto (the best french mag) costs €55 (12 issues).
    Going to join?

    Quote Originally Posted by Can
    that was a comparison between the Cayman and the Exige and the Cayman won because it was FASTER around the same track as the so called "track car" and had a better interior/comfort at around the same price. AND the lows did not include racecar soul (where ever you got that info) the lows were Race car noise limited rear view and race car creature comforts. Race car soul was actually in the HIGHS.
    Yeah I forgot that. I didn't read the full issue but did C&D mention the cornering of the Exige and top end power of the Cayman?
    Either way I stand by what I said, if it's going to be a race car yes you want the noise not an SL500. Race car creature comforts were sparco racing seats and stereo, carpets and I think even air con were optional so you can't really say much there now can you. Anyways thanks for posting that up.

    Quote Originally Posted by PerfAv
    So which is considered best: Evo, Top Gear, or CAR?
    Good question. I've already been told Top Gear isn't very good by many Brits but can anybody here verify that and answer the rest?

    Quote Originally Posted by MK
    The reason magazines from other countries are expensive is mostly postage costs. When we did inserts on my mag, the biggest cost for the advertiser was the extra price incured through the additional few grams. And that didn't even go abroad.
    The thing is I cannot understand how overseas package with C&D in the US takes just 8 more dollars wherever you are and I'm here in the ME than UK which is understandibly nearer. Are the planes fitted with super fuel and the packages kept on leather seats?
    Last edited by spi-ti-tout; 05-22-2006 at 04:20 PM.

  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by spi-ti-tout
    The thing is I cannot understand how overseas package with C&D in the US takes just 8 more dollars wherever you are and I'm here in the ME than UK which is understandibly nearer. Are the planes fitted with super fuel and the packages kept on leather seats?
    I have no idea - publishing companies rarely ship their own magazines; they pay a different company to distribute them, but I'm not sure who decides how much it will cost to ship internationally. My guess is that if it goes to the postage company they're probably making a few easy pounds.

    I reckon EVO is the the best car mag by a long way. They have the best features and the Richard Porter and Gordon Murray columns are always good. Top Gear have Clarkson but all his best rants are on his page on timesonline.co.uk and he doesn't do reviews or features for the magazine.
    www.crash.net/motoring/roadcars/news/home/

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by spi-ti-tout
    My aunt in NJ is a librarian and so she gets to read about 10,00090 different type of magazines on subscribtion from the library. She knows I'm a petrolhead so she said she'd be able to subscribe a car mag for me (of my choice) if it didn't come to more than 100 dhs which is about $35. Since she's in the US her first choices were C&D and Motortrend but I wanted either Top Gear or EVO because from personal reading-in-the-supermarket experiences C&D have a few screws to tighten. There was a comparison once between the Exige and another car in it's class - the Exige came on top. But nooo, they still had to find some faults, and you know which?

    PROS:
    - Racingcar Build
    - Racingcar Go
    - Racingcar Brakes

    CONS:
    - No Creature Comforts
    - Racingcar Soul

    I shut the magazine there because that was one of the stupidest cons I've ever read. It's obvious that if a car has all those track-oriented properties it's meant for the TRACK and they just wanted to fill out some blanks. Anyways getting back on point I checked out on EVO and TG and for overseas both came to nearly 570 dhs! That's just crazy for magazine subscription and I don't think the paper quality is too good compared to the Americans. Well what makes British car magazines SO expensive? I understand UK is expensive but surely it doesn't equate to THAT much? In the supermarkets C&D and Top Gear (no EVO though ) are sold at nearly the same price!
    go read them at a chain bookstore. I suggest tower records, they have the latest ones, because the ones at Borders are 1 month behind. Car and Driver isn't that bad, it is pretty good for a magazine.
    I'm dropping out to create a company that starts with motorcycles, then cars, and forty years later signs a legendary Brazilian driver who has a public and expensive feud with his French teammate.

  4. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by PerfAdv
    So which is considered best: Evo, Top Gear, or CAR?
    Depends what you want.

    If you want poor writing + pointless articles about nothing in particular; get CAR.

    If you like a magazine full of errors and more poor writing and pointless articles; get Top Gear.

    If you want good writing, good photography, and appreciation for all good cars; get Evo.
    Thanks for all the fish

  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coventrysucks
    Depends what you want.

    If you want poor writing + pointless articles about nothing in particular; get CAR.

    If you like a magazine full of errors and more poor writing and pointless articles; get Top Gear.

    If you want good writing, good photography, and appreciation for all good cars; get Evo.
    That explains why I've only seen CAR and TG at bookstores here. I've gotten CAR a few times and thought it was a little better than Car and Driver and Automobile, actually better than other car mags as well. Subscriptions are very cheap here. You can get most magazines for 12 months for about $10, with the special offer fliers .

    Just checked Evo subscriptions on amazon.com. Cost: about 15x...


    Price:$159.61 ($13.30/issue) & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details Issues:12 issues / 12 months
    "Racing improves the breed" ~Sochiro Honda

  6. #21
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    Cov, that being said, is there NO good magazine from the U.S?

  7. #22
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    I don't know, I've never had to buy one from the US.
    Thanks for all the fish

  8. #23
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    Spi, if you had to have a US mag, get Road & Track. I like their specs pages, the Data Panel, downloadable PDFs.

    These are some recent test:
    http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....rticle_id=3148

    Nice Super-Tuner comparo:
    http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....rticle_id=3467
    "Racing improves the breed" ~Sochiro Honda

  9. #24
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    For the US mags, I like Road & Track. For the UK mags I like CAR. IMO, it's well written stuff, the photography is awesome, and the industry news is very good too. I have bought a few EVO's in the past, but I tend to only buy ones that have something that will inerest me, whereas I buy R&T and CAR faithfully.
    UCP's BSG Nerd and a resident Freerider.
    flickr page:http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaru72/

  10. #25
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    I am subscribed to both Evo and TG. I also buy Car regularly.

    I really enjoy British car magazines, since they are not afraid of being negative about cars they do not like. I want an honest opinion and I feel that is what I get. German car magazines are usually very heavily biased, of poor writing quality and generally not very exciting. Car tried with a German language edition, which was much like the UK one but surprisingly it died out after only a few issues

    The quality of writing and photography in British car magazines is usually a cut above plus at least some of the people writing are people who are actually capable and do own the cars they write about.

    I feel that some Evo writers are trying to emulate TG in style but not in a way that would make it look like a cheap copy. The opinions about the same cars vary from magazine to magazine as well. Two things going for Evo is that they are very reliable as far as delivery is concerned (TG is bad in this respect), plus you get a special subscribers edition, with a nicer cover

  11. #26
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    I use C&D online mostly to read up on cars not available in Europe. I bought a select few copies but do not really think a subscription would make sense :\

  12. #27
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    WOW i feel really lucky now

    And the subscription to EVO also gives you special edition mags which looks slightly different and have slightly less adverts.

    And like with all subscriptions you get a free gift a model, prints, DVDs, GPS program, T shirt.

    And EVO is by far the best Auto Mag so it is worth it, but the prices youve stated are shocking:

    Price:$159.61 ($13.30/issue) & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details Issues:12 issues / 12 months
    There are similar prices in poland. thats why i always buy all the magazines that month so that lasts me for a bit and then have to wait until i get back from hols.... Polish mags arent up to scratch theyre happy when a car will to more on a full tank of gas not the performance(theyll make it perform with theyre recless driving).
    TVR, Heres to Peter wheeler and his last creationg of the Scamander.

    Coventry seriously sucks....

  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by :Exige:
    Evo and Top Gear are huge magazines with excellent photography and incredibly indepth writing. Quality costs money.

    For a months worth of writing, £4 isn't bad. Autocar magazine is £2.20 a week ... £8.80 a month!
    Months worth of reading...£4 acceptable....except Im a fast reader, so it only takes me a day
    I aint know "rookie"
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  14. #29
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    Im subscribed to Auto Italia at the moment, costs - if I can remember off the top of my head - £3.95 per issue £40 for a year
    I aint know "rookie"
    2006 Ford Mustang 4.6 V8 Premium GT
    2008 Chrysler 300C SRT Design
    2007 Alfa Romeo Brera 2.2
    1972 MG Midget 1275

  15. #30
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    For us in Canada, CAR is $13.95 and EVO is $12.95. IF I remember correctly. I also buy Dirt, which is a UK based MTB magazine, it's $10.95 now. All of them take me a couple of days to read as opposed to the US magazine's, so it's a price that I am more than willing to pay.
    UCP's BSG Nerd and a resident Freerider.
    flickr page:http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaru72/

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