The Avants Podcast
by Avants
The official podcast of Avants! Join hosts Dan Putnam and Nick Bergeron as they get to know industry leading guests beyond just what they drive. Always unscripted and never predictable, it’s always a good time full of surprises. You won’t find any boring reviews that sound like reading off a pre-planned info sheet, ”history of” shows that are reworded Wikipedia articles, or advertisements for the next new foam mattress here!
Episodes
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470: Just Give Us the Plug and Get Out of the Way
SEMA is underway, which means the automotive world is once again full of builds that range from genuinely incredible to maybe just don’t look too closely. We talk about some of the early standouts, including a Tacoma wearing a Lexus GX front end, kei cars pretending to be GT-Rs, and the…
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469: Nobody Spends My Money Like My Friends
Nick says he wants to do a few small, sensible projects on his kei truck. Dan and Brian hear “engine swap.” Before long, we’re debating what could fit, what would be hilarious, and how much of Nick’s money we can spend without actually touching the truck. We also catch up on the car news that’s...
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468: Monster Garage #2: Build Weird Stuff and Do It Right with Donavan Neely
For our second Monster Garage episode, we sit down with Donavan Neely from Level Ten Industries, a guy who seems to specialize in projects that make normal people ask, “Why would you do that?” His latest build starts with a 1953 Dodge military ambulance and a 1996 Cummins donor truck. From there,...
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467: Monster Garage #1: The 20-Year CJ-7 Build
For our first Monster Garage episode, Avants member Bill Ritchie brings us a project that proves these builds almost never go according to plan. His wife’s 1985 CJ-7 went from a "simple" blown engine to a decades-long project involving engine swaps, axle swaps, bad shops, good shops, questionable...
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466: Small Truck, Big Man: Nick Bought a Kei Truck
Nick bought a kei truck, and somehow we're all pretending this is going to remain a simple project. This week we're joined by Brian and Megan as Nick introduces the newest addition to the garage: a 1998 Subaru Sambar. It's right-hand drive, four-wheel drive, has a five-speed with a crawl gear, a...
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465: Mono Updates and Raptor Wraps
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...
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464: Everything Needs an Analog Tach
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,...
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463: The Minivan Renaissance
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…
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462: The $0.10 Part on a $250 Problem
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...
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461: Cars Are Tools to Facilitate Adventures
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...
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460: Too Many Projects, Not Enough Garage: Nathan Muntz is Back!
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...
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459: Gordon Murray for President
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…
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458: Nick Bought Another Grom. Again.
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…
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457: Saint Michael and Megan Return!
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...
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456: The Facebook Marketplace Cycle Continues
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,...
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Homeownership Is Expensive. Buy a Van Instead?
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…
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Monkeys, McLarens, and the Great Ferrari Ownership Debate
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...
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A Ferrari Hit or a Missed Shift?
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…
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Niche Becomes Normal
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...
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Detune It or Send It Featuring Brian Elich!
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…...
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Riding, Driving, and Flying with Pete Nielson
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...
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The Useless Tire Regulation Nobody Asked For
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…
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Old Cars and New Adventures with Brian McLean
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...
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The New FAILRRARI Leaf
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...
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Forza 6 Fever, Filson Broncos, and an Oil Crunch Coming?
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...
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Overhyped!
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...
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Brake-by-Wire Is Here… Are We Still Driving?
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...
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The Worst Overlander Ever Succeeds
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...
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Enjoying Cake and Being Sad About Our Key Fobs
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...
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Birds, Trucks, and Bad Decisions
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...
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The Diesel Dilemma
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…
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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…
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Bring Back Stereo Dolphins!
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…
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Good As New!
"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…
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Using Your Car For More Than Intended
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...
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2026 Starts Off Strong for Avants, but Weak for Honda
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.…
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Turn Off the Data and Drive
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…
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The ZR1 Is Conquering Basically Everything
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…
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The Great Carvana Resurrection
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...
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Jaguar Finally Reads the Room
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...
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It's Time to Shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals!
We're dropping this one early because it's time to shop for holiday shopping! Obviously the first thing on your list should be an Avants membership of course, but we've got a great list of things you or someone you know probably wants! None of these links are affiliate links; we just love this...
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Niko Pagones of Amaxi Autosport Embraces the Latest Tech to Keep Old Cars Going
This week Niko Pagones, owner and founder of Amaxi Autosport joins us in the studio to talk about how he started his shop, the excitement and challenges that came with that, and how he's using the latest tech to solve the problems of restoration in older cars. We talk 3D printing, 3D scanning, 3D...
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The Koenigsegg Mega Muffler, Forever Seeking Adventure, and AI Overlords
Our friend and neighbor Brian Dallas swings by the show to join us again this week! If you're in the area and would like to join us for a show, send us a message! We don't open the studio every week, but we always enjoy good company. On this weeks episode, Koenigsegg randomly decided to take…
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About this show
The official podcast of Avants! Join hosts Dan Putnam and Nick Bergeron as they get to know industry leading guests beyond just what they drive. Always unscripted and never predictable, it’s always a good time full of surprises. You won’t find any boring reviews that sound like reading off a pre-planned info sheet, ”history of” shows that are reworded Wikipedia articles, or advertisements for the next new foam mattress here!
Hosted by
Avants
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