The Avants Podcast

Dan took the Bronco Raptor down to the beach—and honestly, nothing happened. It handled everything like it was built for it, no drama, no stories… which, let’s face it, isn’t exactly great podcast material. Meanwhile, somewhere across the globe, two guys attempted the exact opposite: a 14,000-mile journey from London to Cape Town in a Reliant Robin. And as you’d expect, they would never do it again. Naturally, that got us thinking—we might need to step up our own adventure game. So in this episode, we dive into that wildly ambitious road trip, swap stories about motorcycles and Avants, and start asking ourselves what it would actually take to make things a little more… interesting. The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

This episode kicks off with a bit of well-earned self-hype as Avants Magazine Issue 23 drops—featuring us! Huge shoutout to Brian Elich for capturing some incredible photos that made the feature even better. From there, we dive into some big industry news: GM pulling out of the electric truck market. What went wrong for legacy automakers like Ford and GM, and how did Rivian manage to get it so right? We break down the challenges—and we want to hear from you. If you’ve owned (or ditched) a Ford Lightning or GM EV truck, tell us what you loved… or didn’t. Next up, we talk about Ford Raptor cost-cutting, and why enthusiasts are starting to notice some questionable decisions in a premium product. Over in motorsport, Formula 1 changes the rules yet again, and surprise—fans and drivers aren’t thrilled. We unpack the latest shake-ups and what they mean for the sport. On the brighter side, Porsche reveals yet another 911 variant, proving once again that they somehow never miss. Is it necessary? Maybe not. Does it look amazing? Absolutely. And finally, Dan makes a life decision: buying his first e-bike (an Amflow PR Carbon Pro)—which also happens to be only his third bike ever… at 46. What could possibly go wrong? The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

This week’s episode takes a few fun detours and a few hard turns into the reality of today’s car market. We kick things off in unexpected territory with a discussion on Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching and the strange, entertaining world of accidental ornithology—proof that bird watching can be far more intense (and competitive) than anyone expects. With the GMC Jimmy officially making a return, we ask the obvious question: does this finally give us hope that Ford might bring the Everest stateside? That leads into a bigger “what if” conversation—cars that *should* have been massive hits but were held back by baffling decisions. We argue the Cybertruck may have been more popular as a true SUV instead of a polarizing pickup, and the Honda Prelude is our go-to example of a car that was absolutely nerfed by its manufacturer. We also ask listeners which car they think deserved better. Truck talk continues as Toyota announces the Tundra TRD Hammer Edition, a clear shot across the bow of the Raptor. We think Toyota nailed this one and expect it to be a serious competitor. On the performance side, pricing for the new Grand Sport X has dropped, and at $113K we make the case that it’s one of the best bang‑for‑your‑buck cars on the market right now. We then dive into the brutal reality of depreciation—especially in the EV space. The Tesla Model 3 RWD losing roughly 62% of its value raises a bigger question: is this a reflection of the EV market as a whole, or is Tesla dealing with its own unique set of problems, including brand fatigue and Elon‑induced polarization? Along similar lines, Ford officially confirms what many saw coming—the death of the F‑150 Lightning. The twist? We think it’s actually fixable, and we break down how Ford could have saved it. We wrap up with some real‑world pain: gas prices. When a full tank in a Raptor is flirting with $200, it begs the question—what’s the most you’ve ever paid to fill up? And finally, our Question of the Week: what shop or garage upgrades are you planning this year? Dan thinks a mini‑split is non‑negotiable before summer hits—do you agree? The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

On this week's episode Nick experiences the fun of current fuel prices as he fills up the Storyteller with diesel for the first time. At the time of publishing this episode, Diesel is currently sitting at $7 a gallon! If you're on the hunt for a new vehicle, have you reconsidered due to fuel prices or are you betting on prices dropping? Let us know in the comments! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

The weather’s warming up and the roads are finally drying out—which means it’s prime time to wrap up those long‑overdue mods. What projects are you finishing this season? Nick’s juggling upgrades across his bike, the Storyteller Van, and possibly a rack upgrade for the Ranger Raptor. Dan confesses his F‑150 Raptor is a certified mall crawler, so he’s leaning into practicality with airbags for towing, while the Bronco still has a long list of unfinished upgrades. Brian drops back in after some travel to hang out, share a few favorite roads, and talk about his time with Raptor Junkies—along with some hard‑earned tips on how not to be a total newb. The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

Nick and his family have been busy acquiring fun vehicles! Nick gets behind the wheel of the ultimate adventure van, a brand new Storyteller Beast Mode! Not just that, but spring is around the corner and he couldn't resist the need for another motorcycle, so he's the proud new owner of a KTM 390 Enduro too! Needless to say Dan probably needs to step it up and get another toy. That's the only logical conclusion we can draw from this. Our question of the week is, if someone gave you your dream car, what road are you putting it on? Dan and Nick both would head to Utah, but what about you? The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

Brian Dallas drops in to give us some updates on the Overland scene for 2026, Nick goes snow wheeling and picks up hitchhikers, and Dan thinks F1 is boring now. Our Avants community question of the week, what is the most beautiful car ever made? Post a pic of your favorite! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

Consumer Reports has launched there worst of 2025 and much to our surprise, the new 4Runner made the list! We love the new 4Runner, but CR did have some good points about the underwhelming engine choice as well as it's ride quality on the road. While the other choices were somewhat expected, we were surprised to see the beloved 4Runner make the list, but what do you think? And for our question this week, where are you most excited to travel to in the upcoming driving season? The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

With several emissions rollbacks already taking effect, the automotive industry finds itself at a rare and timely crossroads—one that opens the door for genuinely exciting cars once again. Horsepower figures are now pushing past the 1,000 mark from multiple manufacturers, signaling that the long-running horsepower war is rapidly reaching its natural conclusion. As that race winds down, there’s hope that automakers will redirect their energy toward what truly defines a great car: delivering a more engaging, rewarding, and memorable driving experience. Speaking of memorable driving experiences, what automotive related destinations have you felt called to go back to? For us, it's clearly Moab, Idaho, Colorado, and the hidden roads of Sierra Nevada's. What place has you itching to come back and drive? The Tail of the Dragon, the Alps? Let us know! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

For almost all of us out there, affording a new car means selling the old one. As we get older and more settled in life, sometimes the idea of a project car or buying a replacement for that vehicle you wish you still had becomes more obtainable. Which vehicle would you repurchase and why? Which project car is right around the corner for you? We also talk about the rise of the Chinese automakers that we can't get in the States, but Chinese motorcycles have already snuck in and they're actually good! Will the Chinese motorcycle market direction be an indicator of the upcoming automotive market? The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

We talk about cars all the time, but we’re not out there test driving them very often so we don’t really consider ourselves “car reviewers”. Reporting in general has changed significantly over the years, and the latest “review” on the F250 by Dan Neil in the WSJ shows how even car reviews aren’t safe from bad taste and political soap boxes. In better car review news, the real car reviews on the new Rivian R2 have started to drop and we all seem to think it’s a great step in the right direction EVs as a whole, but we would love to hear your thoughts on it. Dan is more excited for the Scout and Rivian R3, and we both think the new Slate is unfortunately doomed due to increasing costs. Who do you think was the biggest brand loser of 2025? We give our vote to Ford for having more recalls than we didn’t think possible and the huge failure of the Lightning, which should have been an easy win. In really good consumer news, the Michelin and BF Goodrich discount is renewed for 2026 and you can save more than ever by buying from our partners at Discount Tire! Considering how warm it has been in the PNW, it’s getting close to time to get those new summer tires anyway! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

On this episode we respond to a helpful listener voicemail, a great suggestion from Juan on the one car that just needs one change, and Brian Dallas swings by to talk about the Ford seat issues that plague their vehicles equipped with Recaros. The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

Bring back stereo dolphins! We think there's a market for simplified vehicles that will outlast you with proper maintenance, and we think diesel, non-hybrid, trucks with no built-in infotainment, and manual options would be just the thing. Doug DeMuro disagrees, but do you? It turns out about 1/2 a million Washington drivers have expired tabs. In a surprise to no one living in the area of constantly increasing taxes and costs, more drivers than ever are skipping tab renewals. We often forget the tabs on our motorcycles and trailers, but what about you? Did you hear this episode then suddenly realize your tabs are still from 2021? Living in that RTA zone and it just doesn't make sense to renew them for you? Tesla pulls the plug on the Model S and Model X; is it a sign of decreasing demand for EVs? Questions for the audience this week! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

"Good as new!" "...Yeah... good as new..." This week we talk about rebuilt and salvaged titled cars. There are good deals to be had buying rebuilt titled cars and rebuilding salvaged title cars, but you really need to know what you're looking and when to know you're getting scammed. Episode spoiler alert, you're almost always getting scammed. Also, we're mourning the loss of the local white 250 GTO that sold at auction for a $38.5 million; we will miss seeing it's surprise appearances at Exotics and other local events. Do you think it sold for the right price? Is any car worth that much to YOU? We go back and forth on it. Dan doesn't think any cars is, but Nick wishes it was in his garage. The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

We love it when our audience gives us feedback about a topic, so we want to hear how you have used your car for maybe more than its originally intended purpose. The big stories are always fun, but we would love to see and share some of your moments of your car being used to it's fullest. Camping out of your supercar? Towing your track bike with your track car? Converted your Smart car into a tank? Used your Hilux to help overthrow annoying government regime? Let us know in the comments, or send us a voicemail or text message! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

We here at the Avants Podcast welcomes Kevin Nielsen and Daniel Piker to the crew! Kevin has just started the new San Diego chapter of Avants and is a car person through and through. Daniel joined us back in October and you have probably noticed all the upgrades on the Avants social media. Honda's new Prelude has bombed in the US market, selling just 126 units in the last 2 months. Probably because it's a rebodied Civic with better suspension and brakes and they're asking an insane $40+ thousand dollars for it. Want to see something cool though? Check out this story from VinWiki on the Ganassi racing "secret" tunnel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJR8Ke6Tw6A The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

Are you giving your insurance and law enforcement everything they need to ruin your fun drive? If you've opted in to driving monitoring apps, or even just your cars infotainment system user agreement you just might be. We talk a little about the inevitable use of your data against you, yet another Corvette variant coming around the corner, and more on this weeks show! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

The ZR1 and Mustang GTD finally have gone head to head and the ZR1 proves it's almost impossible to beat, not just by the GTD, but by basically anything on the market. We can't wait to see the ZR1X and what numbers it's going to put down. If you're willing to wear the jorts, the Corvette is likely going to be king for a long time. In other good news, Porsche has finally back peddled on the full EV Cayman/Boxster that no one wanted. The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

Carvana came to the used car market with big promises and a unique buying experience, but loose spending habits took them to the brink of bankruptcy. Now seemingly out of nowhere Carvana is back and has a market value exceeding Ford and even GM! Will this change the way dealers sell used cars so they can compete? Have you bought or sold a car from Carvana? Let us know! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

This week we talk about the real cost of those pesky speeding tickets, the controversial rollback of the emissions standards and what good news that may bring for enthusiasts, and Jaguar finally realizes that their customers aren't interested in pink and blue toasters being sold by interpretive dance and fires their former design chief, Garry McGovern. We wish him not well. The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!