About us

James Foxall - Ask the Car Expert founder.James Foxall

I’ve been writing about cars and motoring for more than 25 years. My career started on a long-departed classic car weekly magazine called AutoClassic. I’ve since pitched up at Autosport, Auto Express, the Daily Telegraph and the News of the World. I now run my own digital content company, Wordsmith Media.

I started Ask the Car Expert in 2018 after a newspaper editor (who didn’t drive) told me no one was interested in consumer motoring stories. I thought: ‘You may not be, but an awful lot of people out there are…’

The result is, I believe, a valuable resource for car owners of all levels of experience. It’s written clearly and concisely to make the information easy to understand. And if I don’t know the answer to a reader’s question, I will know someone who does. The blog is regularly updated with new content and clearly laid out, so car owners can always find the information they need. And if you can’t find the answer to a question, hit the Ask button and send me a message.

When I’m not writing about cars, I’m probably doing some kind of sport: I regularly go mountain biking, aggressive inline skating, hiking, practice pilates or play tennis. And if I’m not doing those I’ll probably be listening to a podcast while either driving or cleaning my ageing Mazda MX-5. I keep on meaning to trade it in for something different. And then I go for a drive and remember why I love the MX-5 so much.

I have a minor obsession with 1970s and 80s Formula One (Carlos Reutemann is my all-time favourite driver). And I follow Portsmouth FC and football in general, usually listening to matches on the radio while working in my garden.

I live in deeply rural West Sussex with Mrs F, two cats, some chickens and occasionally my 20-something daughter.