The Avants Podcast

Let The Modding Resume!

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!
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The Adventure Bug Bites Nick's Whole Family!

On this week’s episode of The Avants Podcast, Nick and his family have been on an absolute tear—collecting adventure machines like it’s a competitive sport. Nick got behind the wheel of the ultimate go‑anywhere rig: a brand‑new Storyteller Beast Mode. And because spring is basically an invitation to misbehave, he also added a KTM 390 Enduro R to the garage.
 
Naturally, this means one thing: Dan is officially on the clock to acquire another toy. That’s just how balance works in the universe.
 
Our Question of the Week:
If someone handed you your dream car, what road would you take it on first? Dan and Nick are both heading straight for Utah’s legendary roads and red‑rock scenery. What about you—where does your dream machine stretch its legs?
 
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
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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!

Overland Updates, Snow Wheeling Hitchhikers, and Boring F1

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 Bombs the New 4Runner

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
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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!

Analog Opportunities

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!
 
 

Circumstantial Nostalgia, Chinese Motorcycles, and Rebuilding Bugattis

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 Don’t Really Do Car Reviews

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!

Listener Follow Ups and the Ford Seat Debacle

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!