Why isn't there an American Mini magazine? There is so much happening out this way...right? With all due respect but I, for one, am tired of paying 10 bucks a pop to see practically every Mini in England. woo hoo...GoMini is coming every month What are they going to fill it with? The lastest issue is a real disappointment...for kriist sake...why bother to photograph the interior or under the bonnet of their featured Minis when they're totally stock And do we really need another highlite of that abortion... Alpine Mini? Are they so under budget that they can't get their ars over here and highlite more of the excitement? Am I the only one wondering why they haven't covered M7 or Webb or SPI or...you get the idea, the REAL big guns I bet you guys they won't even bother to cover the 05 Dragon let alone know that it exists. I'm reeeeeaaaalllly disappointed with this magazine I'm sorry but if I'm gettn a bigger rise looking into my garage than in their magazine, then the subscription is over

 

I agree. There was a thread a while back about someone starting a US rag. I truley hope someone with the know how to put together a professional publication steps up to the plate. SOON!!! It would appear there is a golden opportunity for the right person. I know I'd belly up to the bar for a subscription.

ripley

 

MSFITOY - A lot of people that LIVE in NC don't know the Dragon is there, let alone the folks on the other side of the pond.

And yes, I would cough up a subscription to a good MINI magazine published here. I agree with your post 101%.

 

MSFITOY it sounds like you are the man to start the US MINI magazine. :smile:

 

MSFITOY,

You are not being very globally sensitive :smile:

I think GoMini does a good job from their perspective. You have to remember that there is a huge difference in mentality between Europe and the US, and even more so between the UK and the US on the whole motoring/tuning scene. And it carries over very strongly to the Mini crowd. The UK is very into styling changes to their Minis, Minis Shows, and lager tuning houses. A lot of this has to do with costs as well as insurance. It is very costly for a younger person to make performance changes to their cars in the UK mostly from an insurance perspective. Whereas, in the US, we are more into performance, subtle styling changes, and working with the most power/per dollar regardless of the history or depth of the tuning shop. Someone like Randy would not be nearly as big in the UK as he is, in the US. This is one reason why the JCW is embraced in the UK, but entirely degraded by the tuning crowd in the US. They are totally two different worlds. So from that perspective, GoMini is doing a pretty good job, and I think they have done a fair job at reporting US events (including Dragon 2004). But in reality the Dragon is not known much outside of the US and not much outside of the Southeast. There are just as good if not better roads in Europe as well.

With that said, I think it would be really great for a magazine in the US, to better represent us. Even though I understand where GoMini is coming from and I spend half my time in Europe, I would still like the US side of things. Instead of seeing things in bhp with these far stretched dyno numbers that are found from the UK, I would like to see more whp tests of products. GoMini never really gives a review of a tuning company either. Their magazine treats their articles as more presentations, and not a review of the tuning companies car and how it compares to other ones out there. That is really, really needed in the US. I would be willing to pay double the cost of the magazine ($8), than to pay $10 for GoMini.


As a side note, since we are talking about differences. Why is the tuning crowd so big in CA. From my perspective, CA is the worse place in the US, and possibly the worse place in the entire world for owning a car. Crappy gasoline give bad performance to any car taking to CA, so many CARB restrictions, and so many restrictions to what can be on the road. I just don't get how SoCAL became such a bastion for car tuning.

 

LOL...I'm just a designer/instigator...not a journalist So...I'm instigating

And yes, I'm not globally sensistive to their needs but as long as they have paying subscribers here in US of A and around the world, they should provide greater global perspective?

 

I envy the British their magazines. They have newsstand publications for people who restore mining equipment.

But I thought this was the U.S. side MINI Magazine.

Seriously. Add more original content here..make it more like AutoWeek online..and you've got it. Write a comparison of tuning shops and I'll bet NAM will post and feature it.

But I'll also bet NAM struggles to get content...just as people who produce major magazines for national clubs do. I produced the magazine for the Vespa Club of America for a time...I can tell you all about begging for content.

I cannot see any way...and I've tried in another area...that a national publication devoted to MINI would make it. Lack of advertisers..there are just 36 sponsors on the list here and this is the on-line place to be for MINI U.S. ...lack of readers...just 15,700 registered here ,it's free and how many are active...extreme difficulty in getting newsstand distribution...huge costs to print and distribute...

No way.

But that's just my opinion...I could be wrong.


Peter..who's been burnt on these deals ...in Denver

 

Try motoringfile.com - Gabe does a great job and readers there can submit articles and photos of their own car or events and he will do a little story on it. Check it out if you haven't already. Got a new product you just put on your car, send some text and/or photos to him and he will publish it. Best of all he always gives credit and doesn't make it look like it is him so you get a little press for yourself and your MINI as well.

 

I started a thread on this a while ago and then my business got too busy for me to pursue. I think there is tremendous interest. I just got my current issue of GoMini yesterday and the print and color is great but the cars they highlight and their bias and interest are a bit different. Maybe we could have a business meeting at the Dragon?

 

A side discussion went off to debate the fact that people who are successfuly finding everything they want to know on the web - like right here - are not interested in buying magazines.

I noted the one time existance of a great Miata magazine that I subscribed to for years. Does it still exist? I don't know. Did a web page drive it out of business? I don't know. But some responders to the earlier thread said "why buy a mag, I get everything for free, here..."

Me, well it is easier to read a mag on the bus or in the john, than it is to carry a laptop! Altho now that my PDA is web enabled....

 

Exactly How many Minis showed up at the Dragon last year? And the Fall of the Dragon? Has anyone seen any coverage about this phenomena anywhere besides southern local papers? If GoMini doesn't know about a hundred plus Minis gathering as if it's mating season (I wasn't there last year...correct me if I'm wrong) ...where do they have their attention? For a glossy Mini publication to not know about NAM, therefore Dragon, is inexcusable

I'z get off my soap box now

 

Glad I didn't blow over 100 bucks on the subscription after reading this!

 

If anyone can get this going count me in to help out anyway I can!

 

Where is this thread located?