BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

I'm coming over to the US in May for a couple of weeks of vacation, hoping to travel around the West Coast, Seattle to Frisco (or vice-versa).
I'm hoping to be able to hire an "interesting" car (pre 80s) if possible, does anyone know of a reputable company that could arrange this?

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for places to stay or visit?

It'll be just 2 of us, both (semi-)responsible adults!

All advice very much appreciated obviously!

I assume that you will want to spend a day riding my Rockster in Oregon...

sweatmark wrote:I assume that you will want to spend a day riding my Rockster in Oregon...

Are you serious?

That would be utterly amazing! I have to admit I have no idea where in the US you all are (presumably all over the place), so to discover that you're close to our trip is great!

riceburner wrote:

sweatmark wrote:I assume that you will want to spend a day riding my Rockster in Oregon...

Are you serious?

That would be utterly amazing! I have to admit I have no idea where in the US you all are (presumably all over the place), so to discover that you're close to our trip is great!

Yep. We can arrange details offline.

I live in Willamette valley of Oregon, south of Portland. 90 minute ride to ocean, 90 minutes to 5000ft mountain passes.

sweatmark wrote:

riceburner wrote:

sweatmark wrote:I assume that you will want to spend a day riding my Rockster in Oregon...

Are you serious?

That would be utterly amazing! I have to admit I have no idea where in the US you all are (presumably all over the place), so to discover that you're close to our trip is great!

Yep. We can arrange details offline.

I live in Willamette valley of Oregon, south of Portland. 90 minute ride to ocean, 90 minutes to 5000ft mountain passes.

That is incredibly kind of you!!

Sorry, I can't be of much help. I live east of the Mississippi River, and most of my experience is riding in the Appalachian Mountains.

May be hard to find an old car to rent, but you may be able to purchase and sell one for about the same price. Also one thing to look at is Hertz is starting to rent motorcycles, and Las Vegas is one of the places they will be available.

James, I've been thinking about your car rental preference and have yet to find authentic '60s-'70s muscle car rentals. Values of those cars have gone crazy high in recent years, and they are now very rare.

One option to consider is a current muscle car. I normally rent from Avis during business travel, and was given a Dodge Challenger R/T during recent trip when the hired Intermediate car wasn't available. The Challenger proved better than I imagined, and I somehow avoided speeding ticket while working in a region of USA renowned for vigorous law enforcement.

https://www.avis.com/en/cars/vehicles/us/xs


Don't know what the premium rate might be for such car.

sweatmark wrote:James, I've been thinking about your car rental preference and have yet to find authentic '60s-'70s muscle car rentals. Values of those cars have gone crazy high in recent years, and they are now very rare.

One option to consider is a current muscle car. I normally rent from Avis during business travel, and was given a Dodge Challenger R/T during recent trip when the hired Intermediate car wasn't available. The Challenger proved better than I imagined, and I somehow avoided speeding ticket while working in a region of USA renowned for vigorous law enforcement.

https://www.avis.com/en/cars/vehicles/us/xs


Don't know what the premium rate might be for such car.

I'm coming to the same conclusion and may well opt for a 'premium' modern vehicle hire. One of the companies does a 'pot-luck-high-end' hire car which is something at random from their premium stock, for a slightly lesser price. I suppose it means you get what they happen to have in that day. .

Biff - yes I looked at that.... And I like it as an idea, but I'm utterly crap at buying and selling cars (and bikes).

Starting to get some ideas down on paper now.
The only thing I've currently 'booked' is a convention in Portland, so I'm looking for mountain / forest retreat sort of places (we're both outdoorsey) to visit within a 2 week leisurely cruise.

5 hours of shouting at booking websites and 1 90 minute phone call later
.......
Our flights are booked.
Phew!

Rice burner,

If you let me know when you will be in the San Francisco area, I can provide my R1150R for you to ride, and if you need a place to stay, I’m in the center of town and have plenty of room in my home. Let me know.

Holland Ja

Hyja1 wrote:Rice burner,

If you let me know when you will be in the San Francisco area, I can provide my R1150R for you to ride, and if you need a place to stay, I’m in the center of town and have plenty of room in my home. Let me know.

Holland Ja

That's extremely kind of you to offer!!

We'll be in SF sometime around the 22/23/24 (to be confirmed - flying out of SF at 6pm on the 24th.) - I'm hoping to do something special on the Saturday night (23rd) because that's my birthday! Can you recommend any good foodie places?

Plenty of great restaurants in S.F. Just pick your cuisine. Italian, Asian, steakhouses, etc. $ to $$$$. Three days is not much time but we can help you take in a lot with a locals view of the city in mind. And you can still take in what you want to see (and eat). Again, you’re welcome to stay with us. We have several guest rooms but most importantly, we can help you to see as much of the city as possible.

Hyja1 wrote:Plenty of great restaurants in S.F. Just pick your cuisine. Italian, Asian, steakhouses, etc. $ to $$$$. Three days is not much time but we can help you take in a lot with a locals view of the city in mind. And you can still take in what you want to see (and eat). Again, you’re welcome to stay with us. We have several guest rooms but most importantly, we can help you to see as much of the city as possible.

Probably more like just a couple of days! We're coming from Seattle via Portland and other points (eg Crater Lake) over two weeks.

Thank you very much for the invite! Will liaise in private messages.