The Avants Podcast

Cristy Lee is almost a household name if you're into the car shows, but she does so much more than that. Cristy joins us this week to discuss her love for all things automotive, motorcycles, home improvement, and now... sculpting? Cristy is as fun and friendly as she appears on the screen and a real enthusiast you just have to like. We had such a fun time getting to know her and we know you're goi...

Karisa Haydon and Trista Smith give us a live update from the Rebelle Rally! They're currently sitting in 5th place, but the rally is far from over. They've had some really close calls and some 4 wheel air time already with more exciting updates to come. Follow along on their journey at on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/live/R0IW8nd6ELM?si=ncm2iuwbrG9EMEDf Follow with live tracking here! ht...

Nick went to the RV show, the Crosstrek is king according to Consumer Reports, most car "refrigerators" are junk, and more on this weeks shoptalk! We're looking for you remote workers who really are embracing that remote life! Are you living on the road and traveling in a van? We want to talk to you and hear more about your life. Give us a call at 425-298-7873! 

Mercedes recently stomped the latest ring record with a blistering 6:29 second run, McLaren drops the P1 successor, and did you know Ford makes a RANGER RAPTOR? Who knew? Hint, not the guy at Griots last weekend.  It's a tough time for car makers right now. Nissan, Stellantis, Tesla and more are making serious cuts to once top selling models as car sales start to fizzle out due to various reasons....

We've got Colton Edwards and Will Morris from Cascade Edge Motorsports this week talking to us about their journey to motorsports. They are yet another reminder that you even if you started a little later in life, you can still have an amazing career in motorsports with a lot of hard work and dedication. They're also driving instructors down with our Avants partner and personal friends at ProForma...

We took the Monkeys and Groms to Moab and survived! We tackled Onion Creek, Kokopelli, Hell's Revenge, Fins and Things, Shafer Trail, Chicken Corners, and several trips through Moab traffic all without dying! We even put the GMC HD AEV through its paces tackling Top of the World. It wasn't an easy however with two of the bikes taking some ride-ending damage, not to mention our old bodies taking th...

This week Curtis Creager joins us in the studio to discuss his return from the Nurburgring! Back in February Curtis joined and discussed his plans for his first time there, and now he's back with all the good stories and more tips and tricks to help you get ready for the big day.  Thumbnail photo credit to Jason Tang. 

We welcome back Brian Elich for some shop talk around buying a previous gen vehicle and upgrading or buying new with all the options. It's a huge price difference, but is the peace of mind worth it? Dan goes and checks out the new GX550 and still thinks you should probably just buy a Raptor. 

On this episode we discuss the the new car reveals that worth looking at from Monterey, an automatic noise ordinance camera tickets a car with a stock exhaust, Drivers Assistance features are proven to not actually help, a designer at Audi proves they have apparently never driven a car before, and how the tires on your new truck can easily get out of balance in spite of how angry you make people o...

This week we get the always impressive Faye Hadley on the show! Not just an extremely skilled automotive tech and educator she is also the co-host of MotorTrend’s All Girls Garage , and the featured mechanic on MotorTrend’s Motor Mythbusters series. You can hear all about how Faye got here, her PNW connections, and her love of chickens! Follow along with Faye here!  www.youtube.com/fayehadley www....

If you've got a Land Rover Discovery, we've got the show for you! Our friends Daniel and Emily join us to talk about their company Golden Rovers who specialize in essential accessories for Land Rovers. Emily and Daniel were famously the friends of ours who hydro locked their Land Rover discovery while out playing on Stampede Pass with us and then immediately started an LS Swap. They have also help...

Do you like forest service roads? Do you like doing anything off-road? Do you like dispersed camping? Then you should be supporting the Blue Ribbon Coalition. It's hard to believe how much access we have lost to beautiful lands, and the only people really making a difference to keep our access is the Blue Ribbon Coalition. We strongly believe in treading lightly, packing it in and packing it out,...

The best driving roads aren’t the same things as the best roads. The best road in the country is Highway 12 in Utah, but the best driving road is almost every road in far northern California. Dan discusses his epic R8 road trip, Nick discusses CRF450 sales, Ranger Raptor warranty repairs, and more on this week’s Shop Talk episode.

We always say the Avants Podcast is a car show about people so it made perfect sense to have someone like Ryan ZumMallen on as a guest since he creates car books about people. Ryan tells us about his publishing company Carrara Books and talks more about the book everyone should own, Cult of GTR. 

This week the newest member of the ProFormance Racing School joins us in the studio, Siena Kitch! Siena is a proud chip of the Kitch block and has been basically living and breathing the automotive racing world since the day she was born. She's smart, funny, and a great guest we know you'll love to hear!  Check out ProFormance on Instagram and TikTok to see all of the latest content.  Be sure to c...

The R8 heads to its proper home at the track next month, Porsche lets the media judge it's new hybrid, and that new RS6 Avant GT is HOT!    Check out our friends at STEK USA! https://www.stek-usa.com/ Need the perfect vehicle for the PNW and beyond? Go see our friends at Carter Automotive group! https://www.carterseattle.com/  

It finally happened! Nick got the new and Ranger Raptor and it lives up to all the hype. When it comes to factory capable trucks, Ford really set the bar with the F150 and we think they truly did it again with the Ranger. With less than 600 miles on the odometer, we put Nick’s new baby to the test by taking it over Stampede and up WABDR Section 2! Special thanks to Hailee Lehtinen for making this...

It’s no secret we are life long fans of all things Griots and Griot's Motors is just the latest reason to like everything they do. This week Phillip Griot, owner and CEO of Griot's Motors, join us to chat about what they have been up to down the hill from the flagship store and he gives us all the great results they’ve had working with Bring A Trailer, how to sell a car, what he’s looking for in c...

Lotus finally drops the Emira, a new Koenigsegg gets crispy, and more in a shorter episode this week as we prep for Classics on the Green! We know a few people who have the new Emira now and so far everyone is in love with theirs. If you have the means, we highly suggest it! In sad news, Joe Elmore passed away this past week at 80 years old. He was a staple of the car community, a pioneer in autom...

We know what you’re all thinking, no such magical world of convenience and safe car washing exists! Well, it turns out that John Denver wasn’t full of it and if you’re one of our lucky Avants members in Colorado you can visit one of the many Autowash locations. All brush type car washes are terrible for your paint, and many touchless car washes can do some real damage as well, but Autowash touchle...

Summer is coming and we want to go exploring! Dan has run out of roads and can't find any new ones and Nick needs a Ranger Raptor but can't find a decent Ford dealer to sell him one at MSRP. Won't someone please think of poor Nick and sell him a green Ranger Raptor?! 

When we first interviewed Karisa Haydon and Trista Smith, they were the fresh Rebelle Rally Rookies of the Year, but now they’ve grown up to Team Velocity, a Ford factory backed team! Karisa and Trista are working with Ford and driving the big Broncos now in the Rebelle Rally. If you’re thinking about giving it a shot, we’ve got the show for you. Be sure to check out Team Velocity Northwest online...

It's been a BIG week for us here at the Podcast! Nick got a puppy and a fiancé, Dan got a tractor, and car sales got slapped in the face! This week we talk about the falling prices of even the most popular vehicles on the market, but especially EVs and Bronco Raptors. 

We talk to recent PRO3 winner Isaiah Dummer about driving, riding, building, and other fun things that cost too much on this weeks podcast! Isaiah has been racing in PRO3 since Covid times, runs his own construction company, and loves all things with engines, just like us. He's got fun stories and was a great guest. 

Krissy Wells joins us back in the studio to talk about the massive amount of Avants events coming up as well as the secret to finding all those elusive Avants Off-Road stickers! We talk about the new Avants Online Store, Classics on the Green, and so much more.  Check out the new store at: https://store.avants.com/