I’m a YouTube junkie. It’s my preferred form of video entertainment. Although my wife and I do watch our fair share various TV series, YouTube is where I find most of my personal entertainment. I enjoy the short, quick bursts of varying topics and information. I enjoy the wide range of YouTubers and the endless supply of information. Whether you’re looking for DIY help, product comparisons, or plain old entertainment, YouTube may just be the best platform. And in the automotive genre, there is no shortness of supply. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order:
Doug DeMuro
Doug DeMuro’s channel offers a unique and entertaining perspective on vehicle reviews. While he does give thorough reviews that would benefit somebody looking to purchase a vehicle, his reviews are equally as geared toward entertaining your average consumer as they are your hardcore automotive enthusiasts. Basically, you don’t need to be a car-nut to enjoy his material. He points out all the “quirks and cool features” as he would say, when taking a closer look at everyday aspects of a car. For instance, he’ll talk about how silly the center console hinges might be, or how the cupholders are arranged funny, or he’ll find some very strange language used in the vehicle owners manual. Sometimes, he’ll catch some funny language translation (from German to English, for instance) in the infotainment system. Ultimately, you get a very detailed look into the vehicles he reviews and you’ll find yourself laughing along to all the funny, quirky, or different features you might otherwise never know about a particular car.
More Doug DeMuro
More Doug DeMuro is Doug’s second channel. It was introduced in the later part of 2018 and he claims it’s where he can be a bit more creative with his material. For instance, he’ll answer popular viewer questions, or talk about all the cars he’s owned and which he liked best. Sometimes, he even posts car reviews on More Doug DeMuro, but they tend to be shorter in length and focus on cars that may not require such a detailed review. This channel is experimental, as he admits, but I find it equally as entertaining and I enjoy the change of pace from the normal video format found on his first channel.
Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids is the YouTube channel dedicated to the activity of carsandbids.com which is Doug DeMuro’s car auction website. Carsandbids.com competes with the other big car auction websites like Bring a Trailer (bringatrailer.com). On this channel Doug personally discusses market trends, notable sales, and other related topics. If you pay attention to the used car market, car values or other buy/sell related topics, you might find this channel informative and entertaining.
Hoovies Garage
Tyler Hoover is an especially interesting character. His channel is difficult to summarize. I believe the original intent was for him to showcase his “hooptie” collection of cars that he cannot resist the urge to grow – even if it entails poor financial implications which it often does. Oh, a “hooptie” is a word generally used to describe an older, crappy, or poorly maintained car… for those of you not in tune with auto-slang!
He doesn’t just buy any old hooptie, however. He has a method to his madness, or so he claims. He goes after cheap cars that have underrated benefits, driving styles, excitement, rarity, or ones that are just plain fun to own. At least that’s where it started. As his channel progressed, he began making some more expensive purchases – but even though they were expensive in comparison to his original fleet, they were still cheap relative to the vehicle itself. For instance, a cheap Ferrari, or a cheap Rolls Royce.
I particularly enjoy keeping up with Hoovies Garage. He’s different, a bit erratic, and entertaining to follow. Recently, he decided to bury a Range Rover completely underground. He’ll be digging it up in a year to see if it still runs. Believe it or not, this is the second car he’s attempted this with.
Engineering Explained
Jason’s Engineering Explained takes a much more technical approach to topics. And while I am no engineering expert, I do find myself tuning into this channel quite often. It’s probably because Jason chooses very interesting topics that you might otherwise overlook. For instance, is there any real benefit mechanically to warming up your car in the morning before driving off? Do automatic “on/off” features in cars actually save gas? Is premium fuel worth it? How do turbochargers work?
He’ll summarize his very technical approach to experiments and findings and make it somewhat easy to follow along especially if you’re technically challenged.
Samcrac
Sam’s channel showcases vehicles that he purchased from auto-salvage auctions and documents the rebuild process. His theory is that if you have the knowhow, you can save a whole lot of money by purchasing crashed vehicles and bringing them back to a safe operating condition. And he’s done this with some pretty impressive vehicles. An Audi R8 is a recent project he worked on. Recently he rebuilt an Audi RS7 which was cool as well. He’s also done some more inexpensive cars like a Volkswagen Jetta and a Ford Focus RS. He’s even rebuilt a Domino’s pizza delivery car which got him into some interested legal challenges. What I enjoy about Sam’s channel is watching the rebuilds come together over time. He does a phenomenal job with his repairs, and he shows you how inexpensive some rebuilds can be. If you like taking risks, and have the technical skills to actually perform the work of course.
Vehicle Virgins
This YouTube channel is a good mix of information and entertainment. Parker showcases very high-end vehicles. You’ll get your fix of Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, Porsche’s, etc. He does very solid reviews on many cars, and he also brings you along while he experiences them as well. You’ll also get a quick glimpse into his life of supercar ownership. His channel is geared more toward the younger crowd, I imagine, and I find myself entertained following along in his pretty cool adventures.
Nick Murray
Nick and his channel seem to bring a “hate him or love him” kind of reaction from viewers. And Nick embraces the haters and will sometimes even read some of the nasty comments during one of his videos and laugh along in good spirit. I find him entertaining, and he appears to be a genuine guy that just posts videos o on topics that he likes. He used to own a BMW M4, and now he is on his second Porsche 911. He’s done many videos on both of those cars and he’s done a lot on BMW and Porsche in general. I find his personality likeable and find myself tuning in to his videos more often than not. He also lives near me in CT, so hopefully I’ll make it to one of his meet-ups at some point in the future.
Cleetus McFarland
This is your good ol’ American YouTube channel run by the entertaining Garrett Mitchell. Cleetus and company films mostly from their shop or from the racetrack. They spend a whole lot of time and money building racecars designed for the drag strip – a Corvette, a Cadillac, and a Crown Vic are just a few that you’ll see fairly frequently. They travel the country to various race events and seem to have a blast doing it. They have a large following and they are quite entertaining. If you are into total race builds, real-time repairs and maintenance, and fun at the track, you’ll enjoy this channel.
B is for Build
I have many skills in the automotive industry, but mechanical skills are not one of them. I am not sure why I am so interested in B is for Build – which focuses almost entirely on the start-to-finish build of a car. Most recently, Chris built a 240Z with a BMW M5 engine. The build took months, and started with a 240Z shell, some frame rails, and a totaled BMW M5. I tune into every one of these video’s and I am thoroughly impressed and entertained by the documented progress of the work being performed.
Steve Lehto
Steve Lehto is an attorney in the state of Michigan, and he specializes in consumer protection and lemon law. On his channel, he talks about cool topics that he’s developed a legal expertise in over the years (I believe 25 years as a practicing attorney). Legal remedies after buying a used car, do you have a ‘lemon law’ case, how to sell a used car, dealer scams, etc. Check out his channel for an entertaining look at many cool car topics from a legal perspective. Much of his topics are very educational and others are just down right entertaining!
Redline Reviews
Sofyan Bey is the host of Redline Reviews. His channel is purely for car reviews and in that regard, he does a very good job. You won’t find too much “off script” humor or entertainment, nor will he stray from his format too much (if any at all). However, if you’re looking for a very thorough and high-quality review of a vehicle you may be interested in, his channel will be worth tuning into.
Matt Maran Motoring
Matt’s channel is definitely more of your traditional car review format. He does have a weekly automotive update where he talks about various updates, releases, and information within the automotive world from the past week. Aside from those, which I find very fun and informative, you’ll be mostly getting your run-of-the-mill car review. And that’s not a bad thing, he does a very good job and you’ll learn all sorts of information about a car that he showcases on his channel.
The Straight Pipes
Jakub and Yuri are co-hosts on The Straight Pipes. Strangely, you don’t find too many channels that have more than one main host. And I think it works for them. They have great chemistry and work off each other very well. Jakub tends to focus more on the vehicle engine, performance, and driving experience while Yuri is the technology guru. Their playful banter is entertaining, often humorous and the result is a great “down to earth” review of a car in a watchable format. Tune in and see if you agree.
VINwiki
VINwiki is a website and a YouTube channel. VINwiki.com is a platform that allows car owners and enthusiasts to document a vehicle’s story and history. The YouTube channel, however, is simply a random compilation of stories told by a featured narrator that are generally very entertaining. Each story is independent and there doesn’t appear to be a pattern or flow other than that they’re all automotive related. Often, the stories are worth listening to!
Schmee150
Tim is living the supercar dream, as he puts it on his Instagram header. And I guess that’s a very good way to summarize this YouTube channel. Tim shows you a glimpse into his life of supercar luxury, driving all sorts of glorious cars – some he owns and some he borrows for the channel. He’s taken us on tours of the Porsche and BMW factories and endless rides on the Autobahn. His videos are entertaining, especially if you like to get unique looks into 6 and 7 figure supercars.
LegitStreetCars
Alex used to work at a Mercedes-Benz dealer as a service technician. His main content generally includes inexpensive DIY repairs (often on Mercedes vehicles) that might otherwise cost a fortune at the dealership. He brings an expert look under the hood and under the car and makes repair work look easy. Alex brings a very down-to-earth perspective, and he’s refreshingly knowledgeable about performance, repairs and improvements. It’s very informative especially if you own a Mercedes Benz and want to learn a bit more about DIY repair. Or, if you’re like me, you tune in for fun with no intention of fixing your own vehicles!
Throttle House
“I’m Thomas. And I’m James!” is how you’ll find these episodes kicking off. This is one of my favorite automotive channels to tune into. Why? Thomas and James have a very unique way of tying together legitimate, enthusiast-driven car reviews along with some witty banter and a high production quality. Episodes begin with a short, comedically charged skit that often can actually inspire a real life laugh. Their reviews are thorough and entertaining all at the same time. Although they do pepper in a few “normal people cars” every once and again, they tend to have more of a premium, enthusiast focus with higher value vehicles. Thomas brings more of a track, performance, driving dynamics perspective while James’ perspective is more tuned toward real-world impressions that your everyday consumer might take notice of. Check these guys out - I think you’ll enjoy.
The Car Wizard
This is Tyler Hoover’s (Hoovies Garage) main mechanic. I believe his name is David, but he had been awarded the nickname of ‘Wizard’ by Tyler because he’s a very well versed and talented mechanic that has successfully cleaned up a lot of Tyler’s automotive messes. He made his first appearance on Tyler’s channel many years back while Tyler was filming some content on cars that were being repaired in Wizard’s shop. Although his early appearances were often awkward due to Wizard’s discomfort in front of the camera, he has really developed his own YouTube personality after launching his own channel called ‘The Car Wizard.’ This channel specializes in automotive repairs. He showcases vehicles that come into his shop and Wizard will film episodes on cars that are of particular interest - perhaps because the car is cool or unique, or because the repair is worthy of documentation. If you’re into ‘no frills’ car repair material, this channel could be a match for you. I will say, however, the Wizards personality and style can be an acquired taste. Stick with him, I think you’ll learn to appreciate him and his content.