Magazine Reader
David Tripp
ENGL 1100.46

Throughout my life, I have never been a big reader. Therefore, I don’t have any books that have affected my life. I have, however, always been interested in looking at various types of magazines. I have always liked automobile magazines, as well as those about sports and electronics, in particular car electronics. I have learned numerous things from reading these magazines. For example, before I started reading a certain car audio magazine, I had no clue what Wattage was on a speaker, but now I do. Topics in magazines can sometimes become conversation topics with friends or family. There are many ways to find out about magazines, as opposed to books. I have read an outstanding amount of magazines that cover different topics from when I was younger up until the present.

In particular, there has been one magazine that I have read more than other magazines in the past. It is called Petersen’s 4-Wheel and Off-Road. It is about the different parts, trucks, and events in the four-wheeling and off-road industry. There are articles showing and explaining how to put a certain part on a specific type of truck. In one of the issues of this magazine, there was an article talking about installing a new exhaust system and intake on a particular jeep. They also have parts and accessories for many different kinds of trucks to make them unique. They have hundreds of different rims to choose from for Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, and GMC trucks. Articles and pictures from different companies can be found in the magazine, as well as updates from latest events sponsored by the magazine. There are articles every year highlighting the SEMA event that takes place every year and is a venue for all the companies in the industry to show off there newest and coolest products.

In some magazines, articles can vary, and depending on what types of articles they are, I may not like to read them. In Petersen’s, there are only a few articles that I will usually read. The issues vary a lot in this magazine, so I only read ones that I have knowledge of or would like to learn more about. Articles that I do like to read are mostly ones about parts and how they function. I will read these even if I don’t know anything about them. I also know some things from reading about events that go on and what types of things that the participants have to do. For example, there are some articles about putting certain parts on a jeep that I would rather not read, mainly because I don’t have any interest in jeeps. There are also some articles about events that happened in the desert that aren’t very appealing to me because, in all likelihood, I probably will never be in the desert, and if I was, I definitely wouldn’t have my truck with me.

I was introduced to this magazine by a friend who was with me on a trip. I had seen the magazine before in Wal-Mart, and in other magazines like Trucks and Off-Road Adventures, but had never read it until Matt let me read his. I began reading it and realized I found most of the content was appealing to me, mainly because I have always been interested in how parts of automobiles work and how they are put together. I also liked to learn new information involving sports, in particular soccer, basketball, and golf, as well as trucks, just to have the knowledge. So, from then on out, I would get a new one about every other month, mainly because it was a little pricey. The price issue was not a big deal because, even though I was paying more, I was getting more knowledge than I would in any other off-road magazine. Now I have been reading it probably about five or six years, and have gained a good bit of knowledge from reading it.

This magazine has topics in it that are brought up in conversations. These conversations are mainly with certain friends or my father, but do not occur very often. That makes it easy to start a conversation about perhaps a recent issue, or maybe an article that was interesting. For example, if I find myself talking to a friend who is wondering to how to put a part on his/her automobile, I can give them my knowledge on how to do so. I also have conversations in person about particular articles and other small parts from the magazine with the friend who introduced me to the magazine. Sometimes I speak of new parts like tires and rims to friends who haven’t read it before, and that helps them to learn things that they might be able to use someday.

I have also learned things from reading this magazine. These things might not be things I use everyday, but it is just general knowledge that I know now. For example, I know a lot about the different types of off-road tires all because of reading an article out of Petersen’s. This information could come in handy if I was looking for some new tires for my truck, or if someone else I know wanted some off-road tires. I have learned things like which brand’s tires are good in what types of conditions, whether it be mud, rocks, or snow. Another example of learning about parts from this magazine could be the price of certain types of lifts. I have learned what a reasonable price for a suspension or body lift is and how to install one, as well. A suspension lift runs around $1,000, while a body lift is only about $100. I have also learned a few driving tips for different types of terrain and weather. An example of this would be that deflating tires when driving in the snow can prevent an automobile from sinking into it as quickly. I, however, do not know from personal experience how well that strategy works. Overall, magazines can have topics in them that tie into conversations and are sometimes educational.

The other thing I like about this magazine is that it shows the price of many different parts and how they are available for all the various makes and models of trucks and sport utility vehicles. In other magazines, the articles aren’t as interesting to me as these because of the topics they are about. For example, in Car and Driver, their articles are normally about some expensive or new car, like some hybrid Mitsubishi or a new Ferrari, that has absolutely nothing to do with me. In Petersen’s, however, the articles are about real trucks that are affordable and aren’t straight off the lot. For example, they have a section where readers can send in pictures of their trucks, and they have modifications, but none of them are straight off the lot. They are just old Chevrolets or Fords. In sports magazines, the articles are mainly about a certain athlete, so I do not particularly like those either. If I learn how to install a lift, new tires, and rims on my truck, that seems more helpful than knowing about a new car that costs five-hundred thousand dollars. The articles are also interesting in that they are written by the actual person whose car they worked on or who went to the event, as opposed to someone writing about someone else.

There are things in this magazine I dislike, also. The articles dealing with how to put a part on a specific vehicle are not the most interesting articles to me, that is, unless they have a Toyota 4Runner like I do. I also don’t feel that information about random parts that I would never purchase would help me either. Articles about Chevrolet or Ford vehicles would not help me if I was trying to do some work on my Toyota, so I very rarely read those articles. One major reason that I never read every month’s issue is because the price of the magazine is rather high. I did not feel like I would benefit from spending five or six dollars every month on this magazine. The magazine is a rather large magazine and has a lot of pages with plenty of information that makes it more expensive. The price for a whole year’s subscription that someone could get out of other off-road magazines was not cheap either.Another reason for not purchasing each month’s issue was because the magazine also has a Web site. There, I could look at pictures from events that weren’t in the magazine or read participants’ comments. In any other magazine, there are a few advertisements or subscription opportunities for other magazines, but in this one there are a few too many. In the back of the magazine, there are pages of ads for companies, retail stores, Web sites, and other random useless information. I didn’t pay five dollars to know about fourwheelparts.com, Jegs, or what BF Goodrich tires look like. The good thing is that the articles I don’t like are outweighed by the good ones I do read.

This magazine has had a lasting impression on my life and has given me much knowledge. If it wasn’t for this and a few other magazines, I probably wouldn’t have read anything, and wouldn’t know all the things I do now. I know a lot of words I had heard before, but understand their meanings now, and also have topics to start conversations about. I’m glad that I found and began reading this magazine. I will have some of an interest in automobiles for the rest of my life most likely. If I were to go on to try and become a mechanic for an automobile company after I finish college, some of my knowledge would help me. As I gain more knowledge I will also be able to save more money by being able to fix parts and problems on my own car.