I am sure many of you think that being a car reviewer is the best job in the world. Is it? Andrew Ganz from leftlanenews.com takes some time to answer this question and a few more in a great interview. There are a couple of good surprises in his answers as well, we were especially caught off guard at the car he would drive for the rest of his life. Read on...
Fasttie: How did you get started reviewing cars?
Andrew Ganz (AG): I got my start as a six year-old by "reviewing" my Matchbox cars to my parents. I'd park them on the couch in the living room and talk about their features. I was inspired by the buff books, of course, like Car and Driver.
Fasttie: At Fasttie.com we have indexed over 80 different car review sites, what would you say differentiates Leftlanenews.com from those other sites?
AG: We do a thorough mix of brand new and significant cars as well as cars that have been out for a while. People don't just buy cars that were introduced this year - they continue to buy them brand new even as the model cycle winds out. We'll review both the latest and greatest, the just unveiled cars, as well as those that have been on the market for a little while. It helps our readers make informed new car-buying decisions and it keeps them updated on everything on the market. Not to mention that our site is a great tool for new car shopping with our comprehensive model guides and our pricing configurator.
But beyond reviews, we have a comprehensive and accurate auto industry news resource as our main day-to-day focus. We have a full team dedicated to news stories sort of like our own newsroom.
Keep checking out the site as we're adding new features all the time, like forums, show coverage and more.
Fasttie: What is unique about your reviews specifically?
AG: We take a look at anything and everything on the market. We've all driven virtually every car on the market, so we're able to draw from experience in other cars when reviewing competitors. We're also honest and not shy about pointing out flaws without being overly pessimistic. I think our reviews are fair and balanced and so do our readers.
For my reviews, I'm really detailed and I notice everything about a car. I look at the car compared to its competitors, unlike so many other publications and writers. I try to put myself in the mindset of the shopper that might buy a particular car.
I'm also well-versed and passionate when it comes to older cars and when relevant, I try to add in a little history lesson to my reviews.
Fasttie: Could you walk us through your review process? Do you have a set checklist you follow for each review?
AG: When I receive a test vehicle from the manufacturer, I probably spend half an hour just poking around it before I even start it. More often than not, I'm fairly familiar with it already, but it's still nice to re-familiarize myself. I'll even flip through the owner's manual for more complicated bits!
Then I usually take it for a brief spin on an urban loop I have near my home. I'll take some notes while I'm on that loop, pulling off of the road to take notes, of course! If I'm shooting the car, I'll take it to somewhere more scenic than my driveway and snap photos. I have a checklist of photos to take, though I usually add to it for specific cars with unique features. I'll take more photos throughout the week as I discover things. I reviewed a Saab 9-3 recently and noticed that the auxiliary jack for the stereo blocks the cupholder from retracting. You don't notice that kind of stuff on a test drive. Not only did I describe it in the review, I took photos to show our readers.
I usually put at least 300 miles on a test car in a given week. I'll use it for my regular errands, take it on a highway trip on a Saturday and generally use it like most of the buyers will use it. Unless a manufacturer wants us to test it a car on a closed course, I'll keep the car on regular streets driving it more or less like a buyer would drive it. I won't take a Honda Accord to a race track because Honda didn't design it to be a racer and few if any Accords will ever see a race track. I will, however, load it up with groceries and take a four hour jaunt and accelerate hard to merge into traffic. That's how people use their cars.
Fasttie: If you could only have one car for the rest of your life, disregarding reliability, what would that car be?
AG: Until you said to disregard reliability, I was going to say a Subaru Legacy GT wagon. Those run forever, they handle great, they're comfortable and they're immensely practical. Subaru doesn't bring a GT wagon over to the U.S. any more, I don't know why. You can get a sedan or a lifted Outback wagon, but not a GT wagon. Bad thinking, Subaru.
Disregarding reliability, I'd go for the slightly more thrilling and exotic yet still quite similar - at least in concept - Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon. Give me an all-wheel-drive diesel with a stick and the sports suspension and I'd be very, very happy forever.
Fasttie: Are there any new cars that are really bad or are all modern cars basically competent and just vary by how good they are?
AG: I don't like to write off an entire brand or even an entire model just because I don't like one car. Every new car is pretty competent, yes - I would trust any new car sold in North America to get me from Seattle to Miami and back with only oil changes. Some are more enjoyable than others, of course!
Fasttie: What are the top 5 cars you have reviewed?
AG: I don't think I could pick top five! Within the last year, I'd say I was most impressed by the Aston Martin DBS. Expensive cars are always fun, but that one is truly special. Aston Martin was reborn under Ford and I think the company's new owners are even more enthusiastic. Everyone at Aston Martin is so passionate about the cars and the brand. You don't get that at any other automaker.
Fasttie: Have there been any cars that were good or bad at the track, but were the reverse for day to day use?
AG: Well, I like I said, I don't take that many cars to the track unless they were designed to be used in that way.
Fasttie: I am sure our readers think being a reviewer is the best job in the world, is it? Any downsides?
AG: It's a lot of fun, for sure, but just keep in mind that I don't spend every minute of every day behind the wheel of an Aston Martin. At least 95 percent of my work life is spent in front of the computer hammering away at the keyboard. Auto shows are the most stressful part of the job - they're essential in this business, but when we provide live coverage from the show floor, they'll wear you out by the end of the day. I wouldn't trade my work for the world, however.
Thanks Andrew for your time...
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