The Avants Podcast

The Functional Touch of the Perfect Floormats from Inhabit Design Works

This week we met up with Jon Hickman and Brian Glass, the partners behind Inhabit Design Works. Inhabit is widely known for their luxurious and functional mats, which have gone in everything from Overland Vans to Singer Porsches. They're now branching slightly beyond that and we got a chance to talk with them about their products as well as touch base on how the Overland business is going, post the Covid boom. 
Get the best floormats you can buy here! https://www.inhabitdesignworks.com/

Hack the Planet! Or at Least Your Car

Did you know your car probably has a ton of features that are just hidden away in the software and not enabled? Auto folding mirrors, brighter headlights, fog lights with high beams, disable annoying sounds, warmer seats, and so much more are just a few clicks away if you know what you're doing. There is some inherent risk to this, but we think it's worth it. Just take your time and ask on the Avants Facebook pages if you need help! 

Flaming Grinders, Flaming Ladas, and Even Some Not-So-Flammable Moments with Rory Carroll

This week Rory Carroll joins on the show to talk about his life in the automotive industry. From his early days at the New York Times all the way to Jalopnik and Gizmodo and beyond, Rory has driven, written about, and tested some of the most interesting cars to ever exist. We loved making this episode and we know you're going to love listening to it! 

The Scottsdale Auction Attendees Didn't Get the Memo

Apparently no one told anyone at Scottsdale auction week that inflation and interest rates have gone crazy, because sales figures were nuts. Unfortunately, people buying KTM motorcycles did get the memo and the company is barely alive. Also, does ANYONE have a good wireless CarPlay or Android auto dongle? We keep trying them and keep coming to the same conclusion; these devices absolutely suck. It's a good week for Shop Talk even though Nick is super sick. 

Just Go Buy a Truck Already

We have driven everything from the terrible compact commuter death traps of old to some of the latest hypercars and just about everything between and we still think a truck is the right answer for most of you. In our professional opinion, not owning a proper offroad vehicle at least once in your life, and using it as such, means you're in fact missing out on one of the greatest joys of driving in America - exploring! More than that, todays modern trucks are the new luxury vehicle of choice by offering a better ride, just as many - if not more, luxury options, and the peace of mind of ignoring that giant I-90 pothole. With today's modern hybrids and EVs, even the old mileage concerns are quickly fading away. 

The Burden of Being a Car Person

Have you ever considered what life would be like if you weren't into cars? Can you imagine just walking out to your driveway and only caring that the thing in the driveway got you from point to point efficiently and safely? Yeah we can't either. We discuss the idea of how to convert those people in your life to the dark side with us. Also, does anyone know actually want the new EV Charger? Anyone? We can't find a single person who actually does and we're genuinely curious if any of you do. Give us some good reasons to check it out! Speaking of the worst of the worst, we explored Doug Demuro's Doug Score list to see the best and the worst. What is the worst car you've ever driven? https://www.dougdemuro.com/dougscore

Class is in Session with Wryann Van Riper

This week we welcome Automotive Instructor at Clackamas Community College, Wryann Van Riper! Wryann tells us about how he went from the industry to teaching, his many very cool project cars, his love for flying, and how you put a motorcycle engine in your classic Mini! 

Crawling Through Arizona and Crawling Right Back

Now that Dan is able to mostly breathe again, we regroup for the new year to encourage you to get out there and drive! Dan crawled through the Arizona mountains in the BRaptor, Nick finished the prep on his Ranger Raptor and picked up a new toy, and we have a ton of fresh Avants events coming up to get you excited for 2025!