mnwildpunk Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 So I have been spending a lot of time up in hospice with my mom. She sleeps a lot so I have been picking up magazines to read. Today I bought a hot rod which I have not read in years I mean 15+ years. I truely was shocked at how poor it is now. I remember the good old days of things I guess what surprised me was the fact a project car from when I used to read it called the crusher camaro is still in the the mag. Please don't even get me started on that you tube show Roadkill they have. There are a couple good episodes but I think a lot of what they do give us car guys/gals a bad name. Back to the mag it is missing the flare that gray baskerville used to give it along with other writers who's names escape me right now. O.k. Rant over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I have not bought one since about 1990. I use to read Hot Rod, and the Trucking mag. Still have a few in the attic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southpier Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 quite a few magazines have gotten thinner and foregone their editorial content for glorified captioning of repetitive snapshots & advertisements. I also question the job qualifications for the writers & editors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldscool Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 These days Hot Rod mag seems to be glorifying junk. Some of the cars aren't even safe to drive. Do yourself a favor and read Hot rod Deluxe instead. It is pure rodding history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High octane Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I have let just about all my subscriptions to hot rod mags lapse as they get lamer by the month. And now they even throw in modern muscle cars as well, which I'm not interested in at all. l have a collection of Hot Rod & Super Stock magazines from the 60's and occasionally I'll find a couple of mags from that era that I don't have and will pick them up. I'm gonna read these old mags until the pages wear out, as this is the stuff I want to read. In my opinion, the mags on the shelves today, except for Elapsed Times is not worth MY money, not even at a $1 and issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southpier Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 HRJ is coffee table stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBorg Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Rodders Digest and Hot Rod Deluxe are the only two I pick up without checking them out on the news stand. I have a subscription to Hot Rod, a gift, but its cheap enough that its worth it for the every third issue that I like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afxmustang Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Had a chance a few months back to get some car magazine subscriptions for $7.50 so I got 4 or 5. They are all terrible. All they are is ads. It takes me about 10 minutes to go thru them and I'm done. The best magazines I have found are Rodder's Journal, Hot Rod Deluxe and Rod and Kulture. Elapsed Times is OK but it does contain some incorrect info from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 These days Hot Rod mag seems to be glorifying junk. Some of the cars aren't even safe to drive. Do yourself a favor and read Hot rod Deluxe instead. It is pure rodding history. YEP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 HRJ is coffee table stuff! what is HRJ ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmvw guy Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 They keep suckering me in with 79 cents a copy subscriptions including free hat or clock. Mostly advertising inside. Once in a while they dig some new stuff out of the archives never published before, which I love. I remember going to the public library as a kid and looking at Hot Rod and Rod and Custom. I couldn't even afford it then at 10 cent copy price. That is where I probably got my first look at cool cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDO Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Wow. All the complaints are from guys who want to live in the past. That's not a bad thing, but it may mean that magazines that are exclusively about old cars may be a better choice...it doesn't mean that HRM sucks. Carbs and stripped-down Camaros are fast becoming a thing of the past. Guys who built hot rods back in the '50s and '60s didn't shoot for the retro "grampa built it that way" look. The styling of the cars may be timeless, but what's under the hood doesn't have to be. Was Stu Hilborn a heretic? I say no. HRM is changing with the times. I'd rather see efi swap articles than those two-wheel v-twin turds they put in the magazine for a while in the '90s. I think they are doing a great job. That's why I subscribed for the first time in about 20 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pharoah Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Isn't it The Rodder's Journal? I feel the days of magazines are numbered too. I haven't subscribed to anything for quite a while. I used to read car mags all the time. They're getting thinner with more ads. They seem to think flash is better than substance.Get a car with a $40,000 paint job,put a bikini babe next to it,and someone will buy it. The last one I subscribed to was Mini Truckin' . I used to really like it. Now 90% of the trucks are S-10.,which more than likely don't get driven. They might get a scratch! Those of you with teenagers,when was the last time you saw one reading a car magazine? Online doesn't count either. My 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSB Racing Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Hey it's America and we are all entitled to our opinions. I have to agree with " The Old Timers " on this one. If you yank out all the advertising you have about 20 pages of semi decent stuff to read and look at! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) Hot Rodding used to be about things you could afford. The articles in most issues are way beyond any normal persons budget, much less knowledge. Nice article in the last Hot Rod Delux on Lincoln brakes. Good detail shots for model builders too. Edited January 29, 2014 by Greg Myers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FASTBACK340 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I'm still with Hot Rod, HR Deluxe, Car Craft, and Hemmings Muscle Machines. I let all my Mopar magazines expire as one is from Peterson (Hot Rod) with redundant features, and one I can't tolerate the writing. Oh, almost forgot.... I also subscribe to Model Cars. Ever since the Plastic Fanatic days...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FASTBACK340 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 HRJ is coffee table stuff! I think he meant either Hot Rod Deluxe or Rodders Journal. Whatever it is, he keeps it on his coffee table ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george 53 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) Had subscribed since the 60's! Dropped them a few years ago, along with Car Craft AND Popular Hot Rod. They are ALL just advertisement rags now. Kinda like a mechanical Cozmo magazine. just useless ads an an ocasional GOOD article. I only kept Hemmings Muscle Car and Muscle Car Review. Only two that intrest me anymore. Guess I'm just gettin old. Edited January 29, 2014 by george 53 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I stopped subscribing in the '90s when they started featuring Harley Davidson bikes and were really into the "Fastest Street Car" phase. I always liked Jeff Smith and his editorial direction in the '80s, but I don't actually mind some of the Roadkill TV videos Freiberger has done more recently. They seem to be similar to what Hot Rod magazine used to do/feature, at least the few I have watched. The van heavy issues of the '70s are starting to look pretty good now, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pharoah Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I think I quit subscribing because I know it all and I've seen it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBorg Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 "Those of you with teenagers,when was the last time you saw one reading a car magazine? Online doesn't count either." My Son...... Car and Driver and Road and Track. Now getting him to build models? Maybe assemble a die-cast. Oh well...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTalmage Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I've had a Hot Rod Magazine subscription since '96. So for me that is 18 years. I'm 27 now. I read sooo many of those issues over and over and over. I have always loved Hot Rod. Some may hate it, but with a magazine that focuses on cars, you have to flow with the trends. Van craze died out, Prostreet died out, patina comes and goes. They do a good job in my opinion of catering to everyone. It may take an issue or 3 to get to what you like, but, the 2 issues before are about something different that someone else may have been wanting to see. Plus, Roadkill rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 IMO a majority of the source interlink mags are junk. There are few car features, how tos that are just ads, and the rest is ads. Use to like the sketch pads but that would take a page for ad. The big laugh was the 50th anniversary of Rod and Custom yes it was created 50 years ago but the magazine was not around for all that time. Typical marketing hype. Also the only reason for chip subs is they can charge more for ads. I buy rodders journal and hot rod deluxe. Between my own library and the internet I can find the info I want. bobthehobbyguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmvw guy Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) LDO, on 29 Jan 2014 - 12:53 PM, said: " Guys who built hot rods back in the '50s and '60s didn't shoot for the retro "grampa built it that way" look......HRM is changing with the times." I agree but, I am Grandpa now. Edited January 29, 2014 by rmvw guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubbs Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Wow. All the complaints are from guys who want to live in the past. That's not a bad thing, but it may mean that magazines that are exclusively about old cars may be a better choice...it doesn't mean that HRM sucks. Carbs and stripped-down Camaros are fast becoming a thing of the past. Guys who built hot rods back in the '50s and '60s didn't shoot for the retro "grampa built it that way" look. The styling of the cars may be timeless, but what's under the hood doesn't have to be. Was Stu Hilborn a heretic? I say no. HRM is changing with the times. I'd rather see efi swap articles than those two-wheel v-twin turds they put in the magazine for a while in the '90s. I think they are doing a great job. That's why I subscribed for the first time in about 20 years. I am sooo much this guy who lives in the past.... but I cannot argue with what LDO has to say. they are changing with the times. I think they have a good mix, even though rat rods are just dumb (sorry if I offended anyone), seeing old pro stocks and funny cars doesn't do it when I have the original issues of the car in SSDI. it keep me up on things, even though it's not my favorite (LONG LIVE PRO STREET!!), anyways, very good points LDO..... and someone should pick up a HOT ROD from the 70's or 80".... so many ads it pushed the magazine to over 100 pages sometimes.....the first article started at page 40 for God sakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.