Akkam’s Razor

After 15-plus years of continuous reading & paid subscriptions, it’s time to bring this to an end. Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Road and Track, and Automobile - you are all being put on notice - all of you, for one reason or another, are no longer worth my money to subscribe for home delivery. I may, on occasion, read you at the supermarket, dentist, or bookstore, but I’ll never pay for you again.

There’s three reasons why - two that applies equally to all of the magazines, and a second that is directed specifically at a single publication.

The first reason is easy - timeliness. By the time the dead tree press arrives, their "breaking news" is old news. I most likely had known about it, be it a new model, spy photos, or a concept car debut. All of the manufacturers have relationships with "the press", giving them "scoops" so long as they promise to sit on a story. As of this time, no such agreement exists for the internet.

So, as to the second reason - clear & persistent bias for (and against) certain manufacturers. The running joke seems to be that domestic manufacturers can’t catch a break, & (virtually) guaranteed, if there’s a Honda or BMW in the comparison test, (it’s nearly certain) that they will win.  The tipping point for me here was a 7-way sedan shootoff that I called straight off the cover without reading.  Having no knowledge of the cars outside of my reading, how else could I do that? (Disclaimer:  I sold Saturns for about 4-5 years.)

As further proof, examine the Honda Ridgeline, which I wisely prophesiezed as Honda’s first failure. The marketplace clearly agrees, with Honda idling the plant that produces them as well as incentivizing dealers & consumers to clear the lots (sales have been increasing, but this has required leases as low as $199/mo.).   But still, certain magazines still manage to fall all over themselves pimping the Ridgeline.

I’m not sure how to phrase this last one, but I guess I’ll just say "Brock Yates" (Car & Driver). I tend to NOT get my car news & reviews from political pundits; conversely, I prefer to NOT get my politics from car pundits. Red versus blue analogies, tree hugger comments, "liberal Hollywood criticizms", anti-intellectualism, & a general hostility towards hybrids seem ignorant & closed minded. If Yates’ previous work on Cannonball Run doesn’t qualify him for a chair on Foxnews or Conservative talk radio, then I’m sure his post election columns will. So with that, as the first issues of 2006 hit my mailbox, I know their my last. But I’ll still get my car show coverage, spy shots, commentary, & industry news, just not from the magazines.