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Parker's Car Price Guide
by ais80
The Parkers Car Price Guide is a book that my uncle has been going on about for a number of years. Used by industry folks in the car trade, it lists prices for loads of cars. The team apparently look at over 1.5 million sales each year and list the actual sale prices of the cars, not the windscreen price and so prices are often less than ... what is advertised. I cannot comment on the accuracy of the prices as most of the cars I have compared to the guide seem to be a lot more expensive than listed in Parkers.
It is a flimsy paperback printed on newspaper magazine-type paper that has a recycled feel to it (not sure if it is, though it feels cheap; but good on them if they are using recycled because you aren't exactly buying this to read in bed). It is published monthly and costs £4.99 currently (as of April 2011 edition).
The contents are:
1) Best buys of the month
2) UK's cheapest new cars
3) Manufacturers promotions - i.e £1,000 off the Jazz this month etc
4) Where to buy - compares dealers, supermarkets, auctions etc on a 1 page table + some pages of text explaining various things
5) Approved used explained - self explanatory
6) Insurance guide - different types of insurance, common pitfalls and some ads
7) Finance advice - guide to different finance schemes
8) Warranties - a quick guide to what is and not covered
9) Uk's most reliable cars
10) How to use guide, with mileage adjustment table and then the lists of prices.
The mileage adjustment table sounds a little complex, but is fairly easy once you get to know how to use it. It details how to adjust the price of the car depending on how many miles it has done, i.e. a car does on average 10,000miles per year. If you are looking at a car that is 5 years old, you expect it to have done 50,000 miles. If it had done 65,000 - it is 15,000 miles over expected and you cn use the table to adjust the Parker's listed price according to the adjustment in the table by its year of manufacture and adjustment letter.
The car prices are listed from 2002 (02 plate) onwards, though prices to 1988 are available online for a charge.
Listings are alphabetical by brand and then each model is listed by size (not alphabetically), which may get a little confusing. Also, the print is TINY and may not be suitable for all (and magnifying glasses may be needed by some older readers). The lists show the prices of the various models and specs of cars as if they were:
1) New
2) From a franchised dealer in "used approved schemes"
3) From an independent dealer or car supermarket
4) Private sale price in good condition with MOT and service history
5) Part exchange price
6) Mileage adjustment code for use in the table
There are also some star ratings whcih have been put in by the Parkers team with a small review on the car and market trends with the model.
Overall, I could recommend the book if you are looking for a used car from the last 10 years or so...but only if your eyesight is fairly good!
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Redline Magazine
by sik86
Car mags are nearly always associated with men and all of the related bravado; this is a magazine that departs slightly from this aesthetic, but not too far. The star is certainly the car here, whether it be proper back to back tests of products such as tyres or dampers, a rarity compared to its apparent competitor 'Max Power'.
The ... cars featurerd are diverse and the quality of the journalism is generally good, however some of the features can become a tad samey over the months. Saying this though, for car geeks this may not be a problem and the subtle differences in tuning ideas across the different ranges of cars may be a driver for any would be tuners.
This is not a magazine I buy every month, however when I do buy it I certainly enjoy the article concentrating on a particular field of automotive technology, such as turbo charging and the dispelling of certain myths that come along with them. In particular, the turbo article was fascinating and highlighted how little many so called experts actually know about the sounds emitted by a turbo charged engine!
Owning a performance car myself (Clio 197 Cup), the magazine makes interesting reading and a change from the general chauvanism of many 'lads car mags'.
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Top Gear
by Flozza137
If you love cars then you'll love this magazine. If you love Top Gear, then you won't necessarily love this magazine. By this I mean it is very different from the show. Yes you still have funny inputs from Jeremy, James and Richard but it is much more car focused.
I have a subscription to this magazine and I love cars, I love ... everything about them and as such I am quite sad. Dont' buy this magazine unless you are interested in what engine it has, whether the v8 provides better handling than the v12 or whether some upgraded monocoque frame provides a much better performance than the old one. For instance, if you didn't understand that last sentence then the magazine is probably not for you.
Don't expect to see sneak peeks of the upcoming series either as they are very separate from each other. Top Gear magazine is for car bores and Top Gear TV is for family viewing.
All that said though, it is more interesting than the other car magazines even with the bits most people would find dull. Overall I would suggest this magazine but only if you truly love cars and all their dull mechanics.
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