New car reviews / Automotive magazines
 

Trying to help a colleague. Any opinions are appreciated and i realize this site is aimed at a particular audience.

He is trying to understand how different automotive magazines are perceived relative to one another on new car reviews, content, articles, etc. The group is comprised of Motor Trend, Car & Driver, Road & Track, Automobile and Consumer Reports.

I personally review all before making a purchase but only subscribe to a couple as they are more enjoyable to read on a monthly basis...

Thanks for an help or opinions

Re: New car reviews / Automotive magazines
 

I do not discount any reviews, but take all with a grain of salt (hidden agendas, conflicts of interest, advertising dollars from car manufuacturers in the mag, etc.). I then combine (in my mind at least but sometimes I chart things out via spreadsheet i.e. pros/cons) the reviews across as wide a continuum of magazines/reviews that I can find. I also like to get personal reviews from current owners.

Re: New car reviews / Automotive magazines
 

I let Karen do the research...then I just drive the car [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/flag.gif[/img]

wilma

Re: New car reviews / Automotive magazines
 

I look at MSN for user reviews as well as professional reviews in magazines, but then do my own driving and make a decision. Also, I do internet searching for potential problems from existing owners. If people have problem with a vehicle, they sure aren't shy about sharing it on the appropriate brand forum, that's for sure.