The Avants Podcast

Some people dream about owning a BAC Mono. Dan is busy figuring out how to road-trip one. This week we get an update on a conversation that's been years in the making. After talking directly with BAC founder Ian Briggs, the possibility of a Mono is starting to feel a lot more real. The discussion quickly turns into exactly the kind of questions you'd expect: fuel range, luggage space, ride height,...

The weather is changing, the dust is finally settling down on the trails, and we're trying to squeeze every last adventure out of the season before winter shows up.   This week we talk about running the BDR, off-roading in the Bronco, Ferrari's strange new supercharger setup, GM's giant diesel, Audi's obsession with adding more screens, and why some of the best automotive design decisions were pro...

Minivans are back! Or at least, that's what the numbers say. This week we talk about the surprising resurgence of the humble minivan and what it would take to turn one from a family hauler into something enthusiasts might actually want. Bigger brakes, towing capability, better interiors, road trip comfort, and enough room for motorcycles, camping gear, and questionable life decisions. We may have...

Sometimes the smallest parts create the biggest headaches. This week we start with a simple problem: a tiny plastic clip on Nick's Ranger Raptor that's attached to a part Ford only wants to sell as a complete assembly. That turns into a conversation about junkyard hunting, cross-referencing parts between different vehicles, and how a little creativity can save you hundreds of dollars. From there w...

This week started with a simple question: what happens when the next generation doesn't obsess over cars the way we did?   That turned into a surprisingly deep conversation about Ferrari's latest decisions, the exploding collector car market, influencer culture, why Gen Z seems less interested in hypercars, and what that means for the future of automotive enthusiasm. Then Michael stopped by the sh...

This week we're joined by returning guest Nathan Muntz, and things get gloriously out of control almost immediately. We start with garage therapy, project bikes, robot vacuums, and Dan's ongoing struggle to get rid of stuff faster than he acquires it. Along the way we stumble into a surprisingly interesting German parking light law, talk about Avants' new SwissTrax partnership, and answer a questi...

This week starts the same way most of our conversations do: standing around a motorcycle asking questions nobody should probably act on. Like, if you're stranded in the woods, can you run fork oil in your engine?     From there we dive into the latest Grom upgrades, small bike obsession, and why Honda Monkeys keep attracting the same kind of people that love Volkswagen buses.   Then it's time for...

This week starts with LASIK recovery updates, an AC/DC road trip to Canada, and a deep dive into why patience continues to be a completely overrated life skill.   Then we get into the important stuff.   Dan talks about the new Iceco fridge setup in the Bronco, why a good portable fridge might be one of the best upgrades for road trips, and a few lessons learned about keeping food cold without kill...

This week we've got a full house in the shop. Megan is back from Portugal after pulling off a surprise visit for her brother's wedding, complete with stories about Portuguese car culture, tiny motorcycles, and government rules that somehow make modifying your brakes illegal. Michael joins us to talk search and rescue, everything from ankle injuries on Mount Si to "flashlight missions" when hikers...

Dan and Nick catch up after a week of travel, concerts, camping, and too much time browsing Facebook Marketplace. The guys talk about taking the camper van on its first real adventure, plans for a Pacific Northwest mini-bike ride, selling motorcycles, buying motorcycles, buying motorcycle lifts, and why tiny bikes continue to be more fun than they should be. They also discuss Monterey Car Week, di...

This episode is a little bit all over the map in the best possible way. We kick things off talking about surviving the heat, house projects that cost more than we'd like to admit, and a surprisingly perfect ride on our Honda Monkeys through Mount Rainier National Park. Sometimes the best automotive experiences aren't in a 700 horsepower sports car. They're on tiny bikes puttering through some of t...

This week we're all over the map in the best possible way. We kick things off talking about how AI is quietly changing everything from resumes to project work, and whether we're already at the point where talking to a chatbot feels a little too normal. From there it's back to the stuff we love: a quick tip on why new tires need a proper break-in period, Todd finally buying the monkey he's been thr...

Ferrari just can't help itself, can it? First there was the Purosangue, then came the F80, then the joke that is the Luce, and now Maranello has decided what the world really needed was a "manual" 12Cilindri that isn't actually a manual. Is it a gimmick? Absolutely. Does it matter if it looks like a manual, feels like a manual, and makes people smile like a manual? Maybe not... at least while it's...

This week, Brian Dallas and Megan Zalud join us in the studio for a wide-ranging conversation about how fast the automotive and overland world is changing. Products that used to be reserved for hardcore enthusiasts are suddenly everywhere—and in a lot of cases, they're actually getting better. We talk about the shift happening across the industry as companies like Wolfbox, Viofo, and others push o...

Our good friend Brian Elich is back on the show, and we’re catching up the only way we know how—talking cars and bad financial decisions. This time around we get into trade-ins, specifically whether it actually makes sense to de-tune your car before handing over the keys. The answer? It depends… and probably not how you’d hope. Brian’s been busy since the last time he was on, so we run through his...

This week we had the pleasure of meeting our new friend Pete Nielson! Pete had messaged on the show about a few great topics and took us up on our offer to have him swing by and hang out on the show. Little did we know Pete has had one heck of life of riding motorcycles, racing cars, working on race teams, and working with the aerospace industry.  Nick brings us this weeks question of the week: Wh...

This week we’re talking tires—and no, not just the dangerously tempting Avants member deals you should be taking advantage of!  California is rolling out a new tire efficiency regulation that’s already stirring up debate across the auto world. On paper, it’s about improving fuel economy and reducing emissions. In reality, it could significantly reshape what tires you can actually buy and make you...

What happens when you buy a vintage Ferrari in Italy, drive it through the Alps in August with failing alternators, and then rally it to Monterey Car Week? Naturally… you plan on doing it again. This week on the Avants Podcast, Dan and Nick sit down with Brian McLean — a man who believes old cars are meant to be driven, not hidden away in climate-controlled garages. From a long-wheelbase Rolls-Roy...

In this episode of The Avants Podcast, Dan and Nick cover everything from road trip chaos to the dismal launch of the Ferrari Leaf, we mean Luce.  Nick shares a quick getaway to Vancouver Island that turns into a four-hour border detention saga (yes, really), while Dan recaps time spent as a temporary food delivery person during a hospital stay and discovering one of the best burgers he’s ever had...

It’s that time again—Forza Horizon 6 has officially dropped, and somehow it’s even better than the hype. Nick is now in the market for a new Xbox, while Dan is fully locked in—couch-bound and completely obsessed. And honestly? It’s justified. The latest Forza is absolutely stunning and might just be one of the best arcade racing experiences we’ve ever seen. On the automotive side, Ford unveils the...

OVERHYPED! No, not us, we're pretty self aware. It's why we cry in the shower. In this episode we're talking about overrated cars. Not cars we hate, but cars we actually love, but still think are overrated like the Vector W8, the Jaguar XJ220, the Jeep Wrangler, and several classic cars. Are they bad cars? Not at all, and we want all of them in our garages, but the comprises these cars come with o...

The future of driving just took another step away from… driving. BMW is bringing brake-by-wire to production—ditching traditional hydraulic systems in favor of fully electronic control. It’s a big leap forward in technology, but also raises a bigger question: are we slowly being disconnected from the driving experience altogether? EV drivers already rely heavily on regen braking—so does this even...

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 successfully 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 a...

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 rig...

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...