E30 Zone

Hello all,

Can I just clear something up? Total BMW magazine has NOT ceased publication yet. We are continuing as normal and issue 75 is just about to go to the publishers.

I have just seen the BMW Car Club column by Jeff Heywood and I am not at all pleased. So I would like to do my best to rectify it. Future Publishing does not intend to continue publishing this title but the intention is to sell as many mags as possible to prevent closure. Total BMW is one of those mags and the intention is that it will keep going with another publisher.

There is still a chance we may cease publication, but at the moment it is business as usual.

When I came on this forum a few weeks ago, I wanted to clear up the situation as I knew the news would get out. It would seem that everyone has assumed we have stopped publication. Only we here on the editorial team know exactly when it will close, or which is the last issue. Please don't listen to anyone else in the meantime, as they do not have their facts straight.

I hope this clears things up,

Cheers

Matt Robinson, Total BMW editor

Wahoo! Great news - Best Beemer mag out there.

Got to be good news...

I'll get my copy, whether it's for historical sake (hope not), to support the cause, or just cos it's a good read.

Yeah thats great news, I'll keep on buying then.

Keep up the good work and more e30's and we'll keep buying

I allready subscribe to this mag, it is the best by far for any older BMW owners, why don't all members here decide to have a monthly subscription & possibly ensuring the magazines survival

i have bought every month and i was concidering a subscription but i've heard that rumour so i didn't bother.
After all this time i may as well keep buying when it comes out instead of subscribing,unless subscriptions would prevent this rumour happening.

I have had a subscription the last two years but im reluctant to get another one incase it disappears

yeah i know what you're saying, i guess it would need some sought of comitment from the Mag

Ok guys.

Its a small gamble but I am gonna do my bit and try to help TBMW survive.

I will be renewing/ordering a subscription, its a small gamble but will do a little to help the best BMW magazine to survive.

What you guys think ???

Dont let us let it go without a fight What do you say Matt

Goingt o find a supplier of this magazine. Need to read it!!!

HartgeH27 wrote:Ok guys.

Its a small gamble but I am gonna do my bit and try to help TBMW survive.

I will be renewing/ordering a subscription, its a small gamble but will do a little to help the best BMW magazine to survive.

What you guys think ???

I'm in, By far the best BMW mag on our shelves.

Will subscribe tonight.

I'll buy a subscription if it will make a difference?

If the mag's likely to move to another publisher though, would a bunch of new subscriptions actually help anyone other than Future?

Good point. Someone needs to find out if there is anything we can do?

I have spoken to TBMW and they are optimistic of surviving.

However, I feel that if we can promote the magazine and start by taking out subscriptions it may help, even if just a little.

I dont want to see the mag dissappear and will help in anyway that I can.

Nice One H27 I'll put the word out on some other forums too.

Looks like TBMW need to post out some stickers to us

As i have said, will subscribe tonight, Great mag anyway.

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the support. At the moment I cannot tell you which way it will go but we are â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ as Iain says â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ optimistic of the survival of the mag. I have been well aware for years that our distribution is one of our biggest weaknesses, because it is hard to find the mag in the shops. However, we want to keep bringing you the magazine so we're fighting to keep it going.

I will be in contact with Iain about subs and possible contributions to this forum. All I can say is that the reason we enjoy doing the magazine is for feedback like this; if you guys still want it, then there's a market for it and we'll keep bringing it to you.

I'll keep you all abreast of developments. Thanks once again for all the support!

Cheers

Matt

I'll subscribe ! If it helps get the mag to another publisher if you can say we have x amount of subscriptions count me as one !

If anyone is active on any other forums can you spread the word peeps !!!!

i subscribe to the mag and will renew but indeed would miss it if it went..but why don't you employ a GOOD subs marketing company or person and do the job properly,there is more margin in this anyway than trying to put it on newsstands and giving the distributors a fat profit.

indeed without giving it some serious thought i could think several ideas to market the mag and increase awareness and i am not in the publishing industry

DaveD wrote:i subscribe to the mag and will renew but indeed would miss it if it went..but why don't you employ a GOOD subs marketing company or person and do the job properly,there is more margin in this anyway than trying to put it on newsstands and giving the distributors a fat profit.

indeed without giving it some serious thought i could think several ideas to market the mag and increase awareness and i am not in the publishing industry

Fire away Dave, whats the ideas ???

if i could find it in any of my local shops i buy it but unfortunately i cant

HartgeH27 wrote:

DaveD wrote:i subscribe to the mag and will renew but indeed would miss it if it went..but why don't you employ a GOOD subs marketing company or person and do the job properly,there is more margin in this anyway than trying to put it on newsstands and giving the distributors a fat profit.

indeed without giving it some serious thought i could think several ideas to market the mag and increase awareness and i am not in the publishing industry

Fire away Dave, whats the ideas ???

1/ sponsor this and any other site for bmws...there at least 20 in this country never mind the states and offer the members discount subs
2/ open other ways of supplying ie. through garages
3/ be more proactive on websites as you are being now and possibly organize small meets which would be featured and thus get the attention of the target audience who would then buy the mag

Dave

Idea number 3 is the way forward, we guys are their target audience, then start targeting

Excellant news about the magazine...Definately the best out there.



Pal

I've missed one copy since i've owned my E30, and I bought my E30 because of the E30 buying guide!! awesome mag!!

Distribution is a problem, there's 2 shops I could get it in, now there's only 1. Getting worried.

Hope it survives.

geo1400 wrote:I've missed one copy since i've owned my E30, and I bought my E30 because of the E30 buying guide!! awesome mag!!

Distribution is a problem, there's 2 shops I could get it in, now there's only 1. Getting worried.

Hope it survives.

I cant get it anywhere, WHSmiths, private newsagents that have every magazine going, even the big 24 hour asda, cant find it anywhere

probably cos its due out on the stands very shortlyl (i got mine through the post on Thursday...nothing about e30's in it anyway) the only one i could see yesterday was bmwc and that featured nothing over 5 years old...i didn't buy it

The latest issue of the magazine has been a damn good read and despite buying EVO magazine at the same time, I'm drawn back to TOTAL BMW as it's appeals to a creative rather than a materialistic or speed freak interest in cars. I especially liked the E36 buying guide. It made me want an E36 and remember that I loved driving them, seeing just how much they can grip the road. The section on how to tinker and update the E36 facia was fantastic. Who doesn't love to tinker every now and then? All this creative info inspires many a purchase I'm sure.

It would be great to have a definitive guide to building a 2.7 E30 printed. Although the suggestion in this month's answer section of shoving a wilder cam or a turbo on a 325i was interesting (I never knew that the existing camshaft was only 255 degrees) but wouldn't a 2.7 build be the next logical feature? Maybe it's a bit too involved and includes too many variables.

Looking forward to the E34 touring showdown next month. I admire the detail and well built nature of these motors with all the lovely carpeted cubby holes in the tourer.

I always much preferred the E32 to the E34 to drive though. The E34, even though it was smaller, seemed to me to be less
manoeuvrable than the E32. Why is that? Or am I talking rubbish? I also didn't like the E34 and its poor visibility out of the rear window.



Anyway... it's great the magazine is still going... keeps you off the streets don't it?



.

Glad you liked it Toby. We will do another feature on the 2.7 conversion but it's a topic we've covered before. As it becomes an ever more popular mod we'll keep covering it.

Just wanted to add, sorry for the lack of E30s in 75, but there are two in 76, as per usual. I won't spoil the surprise too much but one has an M30 and the other is a four-cylinder...!

YAY! found a copy!

I too liked the buying guide, and the M40 engine guide, if there is going to be plenty of tech info and buying guides, i'll keep buying it.

The lack of E30s in the magazine doesn't really bother me matthehat17. I like the old BMWs of all types. I would love to drive a 2002 and an M3 E36 as I've never got my mits on those. I driven most others from the 80s and 90s. Would be interested in driving a 1 series but it's appeals to me in the same way an iPod does - it's a nice idea but I'd never want to buy one.

Which issue was the 2.7 covered in before? Is it possible to get an old copy if that was run a long while back? Glad you're running it again. E30s are so popular at the moment. I see motor vehicle students lapping them up at colleges. BMW dealers are telling me how many E30 parts are suddenly being bought, so there's a current (and obviously this website's a part of this) a resurgence of interest in the car.

Cheers for the info about the next issue.