We are coming up on two years of The Autopian, if you can even believe it. It’s been one hell of a ride and we’ve been making a lot of improvements (we hope) along the way. We’ve also learned a ton and grown to over 1,100 paying members, which is quite an achievement, especially when you consider that the average membership transaction is over $100 per person.
You may have noticed Lewin Day around here lately. He’s going to be a regular fixture on the website as he’s accepted a position as our Australian Bureau Chief, which is an important part of our infrastructure given our outsized proportion of Australian readers and members. We love Australia and Australia seems to love The Autopian. Beau even sent Lewin on a secret mission in Australia and I can’t wait to tell you about it.
It’s possible you haven’t noticed Peter Vieira, our new Editorial Production Manager, but you’ve seen the impact on the site. He’s been keeping the place going day-to-day, helping us get more posts up, and creating many of the images at the tops of posts that make this place stand out. He’s also the reason why our social media accounts are so hilarious and have such an Autopian voice. Jason’s working on a story introducing both that should run next week.
Please ask us anything or tell us anything. Complain about things! Chide me for not doing more work on the E39! I do have some specific questions, if you don’t mind:
- We are going to experiment with more weekend content starting tomorrow. What would you like to see on the weekends? Do you ever look at the site on the weekends? What would get you to look?
- What kind of content do you like to see on the site? What do you want to see more of?
- If you’re a member, what kind of content do you like best?
- If you’re not a member (join here!) what kind of content would get you to join?
Thank you for reading and thank you for hanging out here, it’s a magical place.
Interesting choice to start weekend content increases opposite the Super Bowl. I don’t spend a lot of time online on the weekend, but having more to read on Monday, won’t bug me at all.
First of all, GREAT website and community.
I read most if the articles but open to more weekend content. Don’t do if it increases cost. Maybe release only 1-2 articles?
The automatic video banner on top is really annoying and the „x“ to close it too small. I don’t want to see it on every single article and it covers content.
Would love to see a cheap car challenge (similar to Ski Klasse), which could be funded by reader donations and DT repairs
Here are some suggestions:
-24 hours of lemons race coverage where/when feasible
-a Down On The Street series of interesting vehicles we all come across parked on the street
-a series on what food items can replace car parts. For example.. cans of ham as bumper guards (which Jason already did), a lamb shank bone as a shifter, pizza as a mud flap, etc.
I am not on the site much on the weekend, so if adding content on the weekend decreased the amount of content during the week or added cost of operation, I don’t think the benefit is there from my perspective and it looks like there are a lot of others that agree. I think there is plenty of content. I don’t feel the need for more. Keep cost as low as you can and focus on staying viable.
I think the subscription model is a bad idea. I have mentioned this before, but following a newspaper model that is seeing papers going under left and right, does not make any sense to me. Leverage the ad revenue, and sell swag. The video content you do is great, I would focus more on that so you can get that monetized (if it is not already).
What about product reviews and affiliate sales revenue? Highlight some cool tools and post an Amazon link. I will gladly click through and purchase if it is something I want or need.
I hate recurring subscriptions, which makes me part of the problem.
I literally bought a $300 lifetime subscription to the streaming service Nebula, which will pay for itself in 10 years or less (assuming it lasts that long, but that’s besides the point). At least I don’t have to factor it into future budgeting or my finance spreadsheets.
As for weekends–I don’t look on weekends, usually, but on Mondays I almost always check every single article I’ve missed (or at least all the ones that interest me, which tends to be a solid 75%+ of them).
OK, I’m way too late to this party. But even without reading (almost) all the comments (like I usually do), I’m sure that my fellow commentators already have covered all the praise and the very few things that are to criticize. ‘Cause the commentators around here are just as great as the staff and the content is. Keep it up!
Content is awesome already, and there too much of it for me to keep up.
What really makes my day is when a writer talks in the comments with us readers. I’d find it amazing if you guys could find time to do that a little more, even if that means less articles.
I only do it because I’m in love with the sound of my own voice. Oh and to tell people they’re wrong.
I don’t care, you still just imparted some joy right there! How un-goth of you 🙂
I’m not a member and I don’t plan on becoming one.
1a. I would also like to see a spotlight on car shows/ motorcycle rallies. For example there is a Norton Motorcycle in June, Eyes on Design in Grosse Point on Father’s Day, AMA Vintage Days in July, Woodward Dream cruise in August…etc etc. An article before the event and after the event with social media coverage during the event including meetups would be beneficial. As much as I respect Pebble Beach I would like to see events that are more down to and accessible to the masses.
1b. One thing that could have me coming back week after week is a build blog on the weekend. Something that would make me want to come back to the site every Sunday morning. It could be a car, motorcycle, Bicycle, boat, RV or even a work space like a garage. Showing us readers how to make a function garage space would be really beneficial for those who wrench. A garage build would be like this old house but in Autopian form.
2.Mercedes is killing it with motorcycles, keep the motorcycle content up.
I am very much into the technology side of motorcycling so things like Com Systems. I would like to see the history of motorcycle coms, and what they are now today…Its come a long way from wired helmet to helmet systems.
History of automotive gadget articles would be nice. Everything from windshield wipers to hideaway headlights, to GPS.
So those are my thoughts, take it as you will hopefully, they are looked at in some capacity.
You’re doing great! We need please:
– old school David style junker content for us rust-addicted folks
– more “European correspondent” stuff for those across the pond
– no more internal-organ gasket blowing or rod throwing please (looking at you Jason!)
I can keep on making jokes about the metric system for your European content if you want 🙂
We’re trying to domesticate David and you want him to revert back?
From a long time member…
I know Mark Tucker has his own spin on it, but when the old site finally collapses, can you get Rob Emsile?
Even better: Tom McParland!
More wrenching articles
Love the more obscure stuff
How about a road trip to the Gilmore Car Museum near Kalamazoo? It’s massive and has tons of interesting exhibits as well as old time dealership recreations.
Also, if you are in the area I can take you for a ride in my 2CV down to Bell’s for a beverage or two!
I’d like more projects. The MB wagon was rad. Sometimes I would rather read about them then watch another youtuber’s video.
I really loved the piece about the suspension on the f150 line, I’d love to see more of that
1. Weekend content: Yes, I often check in on the weekends. I work shifts so I’m normally checking when I should be worki… I mean, during down time and breaks at work. Just keep up the regular, great quality reading you always provide, but spread it over seven days, I say.
2. Content I like to see? The “industry insider” stuff from Huibert, Adrian and David is what I enjoy the most. Could we get more tame engineers on board to talk about other aspects of car design? Could David walk us through some cooling system stuff, for instance?
Also enjoy Torch’s ramblings, of course and appreciate Mercedes’ RV content – as a “caravaner” myself, I find learning about the ridiculously large rigs you have over in the States very entertaining.
On YouTube, I enjoy the “Trade in Tuesdays” and Huibert’s suspension videos – keep them coming!
The podcast is great, could we improve the sound quality somewhat though? It’s hard to hear when driving my noisy old shitboxes, a problem I’m sure many of your readers have.
3. Not a member… you are making me feel bad now, I’d better rectify that…
4. What would force my hand to join? If all the good stuff was paywalled. But seriously, don’t do that!
I came here to say basically 1 and 2, and you said it better. And the member T-shirt is cool.
1. I look at the site on weekends, maybe even more so than on weekdays. I’ll often catch up on posts over the weekend, especially since I’m here for the interesting posts rather than the day-to-day “news” posts.
2. I like to see content about older cars, builds/projects, histories of brands/quirky cars, etc. I really don’t care about new cars, EV’s, or anything of that sort. I know y’all have to pay the bills and be a “news” website so do what you gotta do, but I’ve never clicked on any of those articles. I just want old stuff (my newest car is from 1995).
3. Not a member yet.
4. It’s a money thing more than anything at the moment. I enjoy the content, direction, and vibe of the site overall, and I’ll be happy to become a member once I get a stable source of income (currently unemployed and kinda broke).
I F5 sites on weekends, anything is great. You guys are carrying massive clout already, keep it going. This is the most interesting automotive site on the internet, easily.
Everything you are doing is great, I will second others comments on an optional forum would be awesome maybe next March 32nd.
More weirdness, please.
Staff: You want weirdness?
Reader: I think I’m entitled to.
Staff: You want weirdness?
Reader: I WANT MORE WEIRDNESS!
Staff: YOU CAN’T HANDLE MORE WEIRDNESS!
“ What kind of content would you like to see on the site?”
I’m very curious about automotive infrastructure. It’s a rarely written about yet crucial part of the automotive culture.
Why do some freeway exits and entrances loop about while others take a more straight forward approach?
Are roundabouts safer than stop lights?
And if so, why?
How much of our city and residential road design is dictated by fire marshals and their need to navigate fire trucks?
Is it true that the more complicated you make a road or intersection the safer it is over time?
I’m not an engineer. Just curious.
Can you explain to me in simple terms why the slow lane on any given freeway is constantly ending, merge left…
While at the same time the number of lanes remain the same?
What’s going on there?
Why are our freeway systems and arterial roads designed in such distinctively different ways depending on location?
Why do some cities have confusing street names and others a simple, numbered, grid system?
(Some have both?)
To put my content request more succinctly…
What’s going on with these roads we all pay for and drive on?
These are genius requests. Consider this a +1 for that kind of content.
That’s a fun bunch of questions! There are so many fun books on infrastructure (Deb Chachra’s new book is on my wishlist) and I’ll bet a writer here could ask the author of such a book for their sources on road stuff.
Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream. Is one of my favorite reads in this vein.
Probably where I got a lot of those nonsense questions from.
Only thing that could make this site better would be if it came with the original Del Taco Steak & Cheese Burrito that I’ve been missing now since 1989! Love the site, love the depth, love the community! Glorious Garbage and Grails are always must reads, even if I don’t feel a connection to the cars. On weekends, I’m still reading regularly, but maybe catching up from the week too.
I would love a membership tier that’s say about $25 a year with no other extras but only to just get rid of the horrible automatic videos. $70 a year might be cheap for some people but it isn’t for a lot others that would otherwise love to contribute.
Great site, keep up the fantastic work! The writing, topics and commentors are what make it what it is. I never experienced the Pre-Autopian sites so am judging simply on what the Autopian is. Love the mix of, well everything.
We should get a special Goth Uncle Field Report regular segment that just covers Adrian being disaffected whilst interacting with the intricacies of daily life.
Primary research is being done as we speak
Me: This is utter rubbish
Matt: can you elaborate?
Me: No
I’m all for more weekend content! As for the site itself, I love it enough to pay for it and I can’t say that for anything else on the interwebs.