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Stallard12

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Just doing a prelimimary assessment on travel costs, probably won't happen unless my wife finds a more profitable corner to work.  However, I was surprised to find. that in the car rental business in the UK, the standard rates stop at 65 and the extended rates stop at 70 years of age, Is this non-negotiable?  Next year, I will be 77, but until two years ago I was driving a cross US tour bus for a living and I can still win any red light challenge in my Corvette.  I ride 25 miles a day on my road bike, do a couple of hundred a week on my Yamaha FZ6 motorcycle and play 18 holes of golf every day.  Can I rent a car in the UK?

If I can't, do y'all know of any day coach tours out of Chester into North Wales, which would probably be our NW stop (sorry Warrington), cos I guess if I can't get a car, the next best is rail.

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there are car hire companies that will hire out to any age up to 99 years old. the restriction seems to come from the insurance companies who are reluctant to insure a hire car for anybody over the age of 60 or in some cases 65. You will have to have a good look around and see if you can find one of those who have no age restrictrion on the insurance. might be worth a look at the likes of the saga website for more info on that

 

As for coach tours there will be companies that do them and you can probably get a list of those from the chetser council website or yellow pages etc. only problem is there is that you are restricted to the times they set out for their destinations and on how long you can spend there before returning.

 

as a last resort, depending on the length of time of your stay, you could always buy a cheap car with an mot and tax and insure it for the length of your stay and then sell it again before you leave. a bit drastic but an option.

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Thanks Sid and Dave.   In the past, we have always driven on our Uk trips - not been for about twenty years, but I got thrown by this revelation when I checked the major rental companys.  My next idea was to look at using the main line rail service and do London, Chester, Edinburgh, York, London, say two days in each - we may have another couple with us who have never been to the UK, but they are as old as dirt too !!.  Then I realized that we didn't want to walk around a town for two days or more, we wanted to visit North Wales and Warrington out of Chester etc., which brought me back to the car thing or coaches.  The companys say that it's up to the local manager, but very unlikely over 70, it's difficult to commit to an expensive trip on a manager's whim.    I thought that maybe someone on the Forum had family working in the rental business who could tell me definitely yes or no.

I don't have family in the UK and I have been a US citizen for forty years, so I'm not really close to anyone over there anymore.  I will contact the Chester council and the same in the other places, but the complications are beginning to take the shiine off.  Plus, in the past we used to pay around $600.00 each for roundtrip air, now it's up to $1500.00 and that'll take the smile off your face !!!   Maybe we should just lay on the beach in Galveston, that only cost a couple of gallons of gas.  Thanks guys.

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with hire cars the insurance company will often put an age limit on. owning your own car is a different matter. age is no problem provided you are medically fit enough to drive you can usually get insurance no matter what age.Usually at a cost or at a reduced coverage such as third party only.

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Y'all raising the point about insurance has jogged my memory.  When we rent cars in Europe, we always use our Visa card, because Visa (at least our contract) covers all rental insurance for free, the companys don't like it because they make a killing off selling their own insurance, but they grudgingly accept it.  I think I'll call Visa and see if they have a problem with it.  At least I could plan for day rentals then, but do the long trips by rail and if I couldn't get one, it wouldn't be a disaster.   My mother-in-law is 94 and still drives, but she could pass for sixty to look at her and she's sharp as a tack.

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Wow !!!  I'm impressed Bill, thinking outside of the box, thought that only happened in movies, but what do I know.   It's something well worth considering, I'll get my wives opinion on it.  

At the moment my inquiries were very provisional and we are looking at 2016, this year we are already committed to two cruises, which we have done for several years and why I was looking at something else for 2016.  Another problem is that we have two neurotic inside only cats, who would certainly vote against it, I guess if momma would agree we could try to board tthem.  Plus we may have another couple join us on the trip, they have always wanted to visit the UK, but this is so preliminary that I haven't even mentioned it to them yet.

However, as far as I can see none of it is insurmountable, so if you don't mind, I'd like to keep it on the table as a very good option.  Thanks.

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No worries it was just a thought. I'm all booked up holiday wise for this year and no plans as yet for next year. Understand the cat situation, we have a similar problem but fortunately my daughter lives not too far away and normally calls round to look after it. Poor things old, totally deaf and blind and I doubt it will be around much longer. On the car situation, it will take four people provided those in the back arn't to big. Google Alfa Brera for more info on size. House wise it's a fairly humble three bed bungalow in a quiet area with the main motorways are just over a mile away so it'd make a good touring base. You've got plenty of time to mull it over and see if anything could be worked out.

 

Bill :)

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