Missing my subscription to CR Online.. Only a little..Is it worth it

[ilovewindex]

I decided not to renew after they changed there site around a little too much for my tastes and made the info i liked (repair records, the appliance reports and stuff for older cars) harder to find or non exsistant...

Well I am now pretty sure I am getting a 2007 Toyota Camry LE V6 with 95k from Carmax in addition to my Chevy Avalanche (i need both) but i would love to have the repair ratings from CR just to see if anything huge is amiss with the V6 camry (The 4 cylinder has a few things, the V6 I just know the water pumps go out)

Should I bite the bullit and go back OR just make due with out? Having it would tell me if i should buy the $1800 bumper to bumper 50K warranty or not

 

[frigilux]

CR is implementing big changes in how ratings look in both the magazine and online. Green 'dots' signify a rating of Excellent. Red dots signify a Poor rating. It's actually more intuitive---green means go, red means stop---but I predict a lot of grumping from longtime CR users, at least initially, as people used to equating red dots with 'Excellent' have to completely shift their thinking.

Personally, I always look up ratings in CR before making a purchase. I get info from other sources as well, but CR rarely steers me wrong. Others here at AW will offer examples of their own that counter my experience.

 

[petek]

Here's the chart.. looks like the 07 and 012 models were new models hence they seem to have a few more problems,, still above average though.  

 

[sudsmaster]

My multiyear subscription to CR is also up in March. So they've been sending me renewal notices. Typically when this happens I look back through my records and see:

 

1) When I actually renewed last time

2) For how much and how many years

 

If it really is renewal time, I'll check the price. If it's significantly higher than last time, I might wait until they cough up a better offer.

 

As for the CR content itself, I'm more concerned with the content than the looks. I don't mind the cosmetic changes. I do mind that they have reduced or eliminated actual performance, quality, and reliability reviews in favor of what I think of as "fluff", like how to get the best deal on a cell phone subscription. Cheez, they don't even include the real deals like Virgin Mobile.

 

I'm also having renewal time for Scientific American. Their rates have shot up by 1/3, because they are forcing you to subscribe not only to their magazine, but also to their web site. That's like $40/year vs. $30/year. So far I'm holding off, waiting to see if they come up with something more reasonable. Already I've found that new subscriptions are only about $32/year. WTF. It's a nice mag, but many months I don't even read it, just glance at the cover. And often I'll read online what is on the free portion of their website. Which is usually enough. We'll see about that, too. I might have to give them a call and do the "let's make a deal" dance I have to do with my Comcast internet service, as well.

 

Can they entertain me? Gypsy Rose Lee they are not.

 

 

[petek]

What I don't like with the magazine hard copy now is that if they test say 50 different models of something they'll only list say the 15 recommended models and that you have to go to the online version (at extra cost) to see what the other 35 models were that they tested.  A couple of months ago they had a brief article on slow cookers or something they tested but you had to go to the online site to see what they were etc..   And there's way way way too much crap on cell phones.   I haven't tried that new app thing that you scan your phone or ipad over the page to get more information from the magazine.