Automotive Website Idea / Concept - Opinions Wanted

[gav240z]

Hi Everyone,

I posted this in the off topic section, but I figure it still quite heavily related to us and your opinion would be really useful.

 

I have been considering for quite some time to build another automotive website to suit enthusiasts of other makes and models.

 

The idea is to provide a unique site based on make / model, but allow users to move to other sites with the same login details.

 

So for example (just examples - not just limited to Datsun could be Mazda / Toyota):

 

- Datsun Skyline Website

- Datsun Fairlady Roadster Website

- Datsun 510 Website

 

You could move from one website to the other and login on each. If you register on one, your registered in all of them and free to post contribute where you like. No more creating 100 different login names, forgetting passwords etc..

 

I have two options of systems I can use to build these websites. What will probably sway me is in relation to having a user gallery. I've noticed that some of our users don't really bother with the gallery here and often rely on 3rd party sites such as photo bucket etc...

 

Do you think a user gallery like the one at http://www.viczcar.com/gallery/ is important on an automotive site such as this, or do you think features such as a forum and regular front page articles are more important?

[gav240z]

Also if anyone here owns a particular make / model of car that doesn't have a good forum / enthusiast site already, would you be so kind as to let me know what it is?

 

I know for example the

Datsun Fairlady Roadster owners

Prince Skyline Owners albeit small (50 or so cars)

Nissan Silvia (SP13? I'm probably wrong on chassis prefix) don't have a resource of their own websites.

 

I'm thinking of building a website which caters to all these different models on a single domain name say:

 

http://prince.mycarsite.com/

http://fairlady.mycarsite.com/

http://510.mycarsite.com/

 

[matt drago]

If you feel that hosting a gallery is not all that important, could you approach the gallery concept by allowing users to register their  Flikr/Photo Bucket/Other photo site details and have a preview on the site or something??  Maybe just allowing users to display the content from their externally hosted gallery would better match your needs and the users?

 

Just a thought.

 

Cheers,

 

Matt

[modular9]

Hey there gav.

 

My 2 cents and in your case that works out to be about 1.2 pence !

 

Had you thought of taking on the mantle of being a forum/portal for old japanese cars . There is jdmstyletuning.com for the modern stuff ( nice site but I cant talk 30 year old datsun 260 2+2 there ! ). There is the site http://www.japanesenostalgiccar.com/ which has a more encompassing overview of older JDM stuff. and they recently merged with grandjdm.

 

I dont know if it is something that you want to do or keep it old datsun/nissan cars or change nothing. Tis your site !

[gav240z]

Hey there gav.

 

My 2 cents and in your case that works out to be about 1.2 pence !

 

Had you thought of taking on the mantle of being a forum/portal for old japanese cars . There is jdmstyletuning.com for the modern stuff ( nice site but I cant talk 30 year old datsun 260 2+2 there ! ). There is the site http://www.japanesenostalgiccar.com/ which has a more encompassing overview of older JDM stuff. and they recently merged with grandjdm.

 

I dont know if it is something that you want to do or keep it old datsun/nissan cars or change nothing. Tis your site !

 

Hi mate,

Yes I want to create a website / forum / portal to cater to all Nostalgic rides. I like Japanese Nostalgic car, but its all mashed together. I would keep everything separate as in a Toyota site a Nissan / Datsun site, a Mazda site etc..

 

I was going to change Auszcar.com into that, but member feedback dictated that it wasn't what the club wanted. So I'm building another website capable of catering to these other classics. GrandJDM is awesome too and the idea is not to compete with these others sites, but to help preserve and promote these classics, I would view Grandjdm and Japanese Nostalgic Car as partners not competitors and I would hope they would the same.

 

 

[gav240z]

If you feel that hosting a gallery is not all that important, could you approach the gallery concept by allowing users to register their  Flikr/Photo Bucket/Other photo site details and have a preview on the site or something??  Maybe just allowing users to display the content from their externally hosted gallery would better match your needs and the users?

 

Just a thought.

 

Cheers,

 

Matt

 

Hi Matt,

That's a good idea, I've not looked into the flickr api but I think it could work well for everyone. You see I'm tossing up between Drupal and Expression Engine. Both are great pieces of software but Drupal allows for integration with Gallery2, Expression Engine has a gallery component but its not designed for all users and multiple albums and categories for each user.

 

Drupal = Very flexible + very complex + steep learning curve.

 

Expression Engine = Very flexible + very user friendly + less learning curve + support

 

Expression Engine comes at a cost though. $250 US for a license and another $50 for a forum component extension. Its not a big cost, but it is one I would have to front.

[Toecutter]

Hi Gav,

 

I think alot of early Z owner's have an interest in the Roadster so if you wanted to start with a model that alot of existing Auszcar members would frequent that would be a good place to start.

 

I know your looking for answers and not questions however just curious are you trying to make the other sites geared to an Australian audience like Auszcar or a global theme?

 

Sounds like a bit of time to manage but if your enjoying it and you have a big market potential it could bring you in some dollars and make it worth staying up late for!?

 

I really enjoy front page articals and the fact that every month or so there is a new one on Auszcar gives it a fresh feel and reason to log on via front page and not straight to forums. I also frequently use the latest posts on the front page and pics from the gallery. I think this site needs more detail on that new "upcoming events" box on the front page to show date of event first and possibly have the same type of box showing on the page of the forums to promote events as much as possible, (nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd).

 

Cheers,

Sulio

 

EDIT:

 

oh and other cars outside of Japanese I would find ineteresting to see a good site for are:

 

are old Mercs

 

...and old 911 Porsches, late 60's models, 911sc's and the 80's Carrera's!

[gav240z]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the feedback. I went ahead and registered www.vintagejdm.com last night. I plan to build a website dedicated to Japanese Classic Cars. Much like Auszcar.com, but covering a whole range of cars. The system I'll be using should be flexible enough to filter things based on Make / Model, so if your not interested in anything but Nissan related chat you can filter it that way.

 

I'd like to build a site dedicated to other makes like the Porsche and Merc's but for now I'm going to focus on what I know best and that's Japanese Cars. If things go well I'll consider building sites for those too.

 

I'm currently designing a template to suit the site and still working out the actual system and its abilities. I will say though that so far I'm quite impressed with what's possible.

 

I'll be sure to let everyone know when the new site is ready, and I hope some of you who are also interested in Japanese cars can sign up and get the ball rolling.

 

I'm still not sure if I should keep it as an Australian based site, or open it up to the world. I'm thinking it should be a global based site, since the majority of classic japanese cars are really in Australia more than anywhere else. Unlike the Z which is so saturated in the US market.

 

Does anyone think this would be a bad idea?

 

Oh and does anyone have some other automotive sites that they really like the design of? I have an idea of how I want the site to look, but other ideas can't hurt .

[gav240z]

Hey there gav.

 

My 2 cents and in your case that works out to be about 1.2 pence !

 

Had you thought of taking on the mantle of being a forum/portal for old japanese cars . There is jdmstyletuning.com for the modern stuff ( nice site but I cant talk 30 year old datsun 260 2+2 there ! ). There is the site http://www.japanesenostalgiccar.com/ which has a more encompassing overview of older JDM stuff. and they recently merged with grandjdm.

 

I dont know if it is something that you want to do or keep it old datsun/nissan cars or change nothing. Tis your site !

 

Pretty much exactly what I want to do, but where as japanesenostalgiccar.com is more a website forum and a magazine, mine will be more of a community based website.

Users will hopefully (all things going well), be able to

 

- upload images

- write forum posts

-add to their own blog

-customise their user profiles

-be able to comment on and rate articles and put together how to guides and even revise existing ones for errors.

 

I have always had  a thing for old Japanese cars, it just so happened that the Z was and will forever be my favorite. Although I was seriously looking at RX4's when I was 16-17. Now that I'm older I prefer the RX3 shape.

 

Point being I've always loved these cars and want a website much like this to cater for all. There are several other sites already out there, but I think I can offer something new to the community.

[modular9]

Bloody good idea. Kinda like deviantart.com for older JDM cars ? Or a better comparison might be a more structured cardomain ? 

[gav240z]

Bloody good idea. Kinda like deviantart.com for older JDM cars ? Or a better comparison might be a more structured cardomain ? 

 

Yep, just like Cardomain, but without the "yank tanks" and other stuff that just doesn't interest me .

 

I've been playing with a localhost version, will be trying to get it up and running ASAP, but don't want to rush it. I also find it hard to get the time to spend on it.

 

I'm pretty excited about it though and I think once its launched so will alsot of the members here.

[modular9]

ARe you gonna want us all to switch over to the new site ?

[gav240z]

ARe you gonna want us all to switch over to the new site ?

 

No, I was originally going to extend Auszcar.com to cover Fairlady Roadsters and Prince Skylines and 1600's and even thought of covering the 300zx and 350z etc.. However the community wanted to remain pure early "zcar" which I completely understand.

 

So this is a whole new project and new website separate from Auszcar.com but I guess you could think of it as a sister site. I realise not all members will care much for other Japanese cars and some will of course be interested.

 

So I am hoping some members here will decide to join the new site and participate on it like they do here, but I will not be forcing them to move onto the new site. This site will remain as is. Just to make things clear.

[modular9]

Sounds excellent.  Good luck with it all. You got a year cutoff in mind ?

Also:

Stickers!! mugs tshirts and of course the all important mouse mat ! Actually i would have a vintagejdm.com sticker on my car.

[aegean]

The concept is a good idea, but not unlike many sites that have one forum but different models within it. For example, http://ozbenz.net/index.php (scroll down to "model specific").

 

Re: the gallery. Ease of use is the key to whether users use it. All forums have different rules and formats, which does make them a pain in the arse, but most of them also make life so hard with file sizes, file types, how they are attached, whether the program automatically re-sizes the photo, etc. Plain English would also help - for example, do you want a full size display, or a thumbnail ? It's an easy question, but no one asks ! There are a lot of people out there that have no idea how to re-size the photos that they have just taken on their digiital camera and all they want to do is get it into a posting. They don't want to know if a bmp file is acceptable or not, or if it has to be re-sized if it's 3mb - the program should be enabled to do that.

 

IF there was an option to add a file/photo to a posting, that included an option to put it in the gallery, I think people would use it. Using Photobucket is fine, but it does mean another step in the process.

[gav240z]

Here is a preview of Vintage JDM.

 

I'm not happy with the design yet. I'm probably going to change it.

[fufu]

Wow very nice, has Drupal written all over it.

 

I was wondering Gav, have you tried Joomla or post-package? Or do you think the security risk is too big?

 

I find that Joomla packages are very in-depth and provide a lot of features and functions for users. But i guess everyone has a different preference. Pricing is a huge factor in these post-packaged systems.

 

I will be building a few new websites soon for online sales, for a client, and will be heading the Joomla route.

 

Fu

[modular9]

yes i am still your girl 

 

Nice site. Looks to be easy to update.

[gav240z]

Wow very nice, has Drupal written all over it.

 

I was wondering Gav, have you tried Joomla or post-package? Or do you think the security risk is too big?

 

I find that Joomla packages are very in-depth and provide a lot of features and functions for users. But i guess everyone has a different preference. Pricing is a huge factor in these post-packaged systems.

 

I will be building a few new websites soon for online sales, for a client, and will be heading the Joomla route.

 

Fu

 

I'm not sure what post-package is? It is a commercial version of Joomla? Or another CMS?

 

To be honest I've given up on Joomla, I use it for frontpage articles on this site, but for me its too clunky and set in its own way. The Admin GUI is probably the best feature in it, but even that has its limitations. Given my time again, I would have built this site using Drupal or Expression Engine. All the features that are on this site currently are managed by 3 separate pieces of software making maintanence and security updates a real pita.

 

Drupal seems very flexible in the way you can set it up and its this flexibility which makes it difficult to learn. Themeing for example is a bit harder than it is, say with Wordpress or Joomla, but there are so many things about it that make Joomla look bad.

 

For example you can set up multiple websites off 1 install.

 

I'm going to be doing this with Vintagejdm.com and Carbonmotorsport.com, vintagejdm is for early Japanese car enthusiasts and Carbonmotorsport.com will be for the later cars like Skylines R32, Silvia etc..

 

One other great feature is your theme's are very much object oriented in the way they inherit. So for example: I could write a base theme for layout and icons to be used in my theme and I could have a sub-theme for vintagejdm.com and carbonmotorsport.com which change the colours only or logo etc...

 

Bit difficult to explain, but for me Joomla is just too Joomlaish! There isn't even a simple forum solution for Joomla, they run phpBB on their own website!!! Which is terrible as you have to register twice on the Joomla.org website. Once if you want to participate on forums and twice if you want to add reviews to extensions and components. Not to mention the search feature on the site only covers either the Joomla side, or the phpBB side.

[gav240z]

yes i am still your girl 

 

Nice site. Looks to be easy to update.

 

I hope its easy to keep updated. The more I learn about Drupal the more im impressed.

 

Now don't laugh, but after seeing this drupal site: http://sparkleshelf.com/

 

I was inspired by the design. So I've decided to take a slightly different route and follow some of those design concepts.

 

One great thing about Drupal is user profiles can be customised. See: http://sparkleshelf.com/users/annrichards

 

So you can have a facebook experience, with other Japanese car enthusiasts.

[fufu]

Wow very nice, has Drupal written all over it.

 

I was wondering Gav, have you tried Joomla or post-package? Or do you think the security risk is too big?

 

I find that Joomla packages are very in-depth and provide a lot of features and functions for users. But i guess everyone has a different preference. Pricing is a huge factor in these post-packaged systems.

 

I will be building a few new websites soon for online sales, for a client, and will be heading the Joomla route.

 

Fu

 

I'm not sure what post-package is? It is a commercial version of Joomla? Or another CMS?

 

To be honest I've given up on Joomla, I use it for frontpage articles on this site, but for me its too clunky and set in its own way. The Admin GUI is probably the best feature in it, but even that has its limitations. Given my time again, I would have built this site using Drupal or Expression Engine. All the features that are on this site currently are managed by 3 separate pieces of software making maintanence and security updates a real pita.

 

Drupal seems very flexible in the way you can set it up and its this flexibility which makes it difficult to learn. Themeing for example is a bit harder than it is, say with Wordpress or Joomla, but there are so many things about it that make Joomla look bad.

 

For example you can set up multiple websites off 1 install.

 

I'm going to be doing this with Vintagejdm.com and Carbonmotorsport.com, vintagejdm is for early Japanese car enthusiasts and Carbonmotorsport.com will be for the later cars like Skylines R32, Silvia etc..

 

One other great feature is your theme's are very much object oriented in the way they inherit. So for example: I could write a base theme for layout and icons to be used in my theme and I could have a sub-theme for vintagejdm.com and carbonmotorsport.com which change the colours only or logo etc...

 

Bit difficult to explain, but for me Joomla is just too Joomlaish! There isn't even a simple forum solution for Joomla, they run phpBB on their own website!!! Which is terrible as you have to register twice on the Joomla.org website. Once if you want to participate on forums and twice if you want to add reviews to extensions and components. Not to mention the search feature on the site only covers either the Joomla side, or the phpBB side.

 

I know where your coming from, I've had experience with both systems. I guess it depends on what your  goal is and what your creating. Joomla is more designed for commercial online store type websites whereas Drupal is more of a news bulletin or forum based websites. Both have their pro's and con's. Joomla is a bit different though a lot of the times a post-packaged Joomla system is needed. Kinda like a template with all features modified, ex. database, checkout system, membership, paypal checkout, etc.... Once you have the post-package then it becomes flexible.

 

If i was making a news bulletin website like the late GrandJdm i would go Drupal due to its flexibility in that design. Basically the standard Drupal system is enough to create the news bulletin type webpage.

 

[gav240z]

I wasn't going to do this, but I decided I would get feedback on the design before I went ahead and put the rest of the website together.

 

http://www.gavindoolan.com/vintagejdm/

 

Sulio I made you famous! , but the image of Sulio's car will rotate with other images of other cars when the website is live.

 

If you have problems with the design or layout can you let me know:

 

1.) what browser you are using.

2.) What screen resolution.

3.) What operating system.

 

Its been slow progress putting it together in my spare time, so I'm hoping your responses will keep me motivated to get the site ready.

 

I will be covering lots of old Japanese cars. Just to name a few .

 

Fairlady Roadsters

1600's / 510's

Rotaries - RX3 , RX2, R100

Toyota 2000GT

Honda S600 , S800

Of course 240z, 260z,

 

And heaps more, based on user feedback.

 

I'm thinking of having a "soft cut off date of 1985". Originally I was thinking 1980, but the Supra, 280zx and Starion etc.. were a bit later.

 

Feedback! Please

[Toecutter]

i think i'll call my z the "prostitute", as it's popping up everywhere! 

 

Sulio

[Hunter]

I think that the gallery on here is great. also the ability to post photos in threads without the use of photobucket etc. it is just another log on you have to worry about. I am not sure how hard it would be. But all photos that are posted in threads should go to the gallery some how.

 

I noticed that 240K owners are using part of classiczcar.com as there home base.

This could be another option for them.

 

P.S. Your website works fine and looks good on my computer running Windows XP, Internet Explorer version 7.0.5730.13 1280x1024 32bit. The top menu does not quite fill the full width of the screen but looks good.

[gav240z]

I think that the gallery on here is great. also the ability to post photos in threads without the use of photobucket etc. it is just another log on you have to worry about. I am not sure how hard it would be. But all photos that are posted in threads should go to the gallery some how.

 

I noticed that 240K owners are using part of classiczcar.com as there home base.

This could be another option for them.

 

P.S. Your website works fine and looks good on my computer running Windows XP, Internet Explorer version 7.0.5730.13 1280x1024 32bit. The top menu does not quite fill the full width of the screen but looks good.

 

Thanks, yeah the new site will have a gallery section and the ability to attach images to any post. There will be alot of the same features on this site, but the new site will be more closely integrated and hopefully more user friendly.

 

I'm looking to cater for all other Japanese Classic Cars and on a global basis as oppose to just Australia - although I'm sure it will have lots of Australian content. Depending on how things go I might be able to provide a Japanese translation of the sites content which would mean Japanese readers, which in turn might mean we get some Japanese related content. Its all early days now so will see how things go.

 

I've noticed some small bugs in the design after testing in a few browsers and after templating for the new CMS I'm going to use so working through that right now.