Andy Green Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Hi, I am from the UK and am doing the Grizzle Bear Blat in Canada this August. During that event we have support and are followed by a truck with trailer etc. I have a couple of spare days before the car needs to go back into the container. So am thinking of heading south into the USA. If I break down and cannot be repaired for some reason how can I get the car back to Canada quickly? In the UK if I breakdown I make a quick call and after a roadside repair man says it cannot be fixed a truck turns up and takes the car and people to any destination. Can I get similar cover in the USA or does AAA only provide a Roadside service? Can I just call a local garage and they would take the car anywhere on a dollar/mile basis? What protection do you have if driving out of state? Any thoughts would be really useful. Thanks :cheers: Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 I think you can only get a tow up to 100 miles with AAA. Guess they figure you ought to be able to find a repair shop within that distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOTTTCAR Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Andy We had that experience today. Just crossed into The US from Canada when major problems put us beside the road a thousand feet from the port of entry. Chief mountain is in the middle of nowhere. No cell phone service. We walked back to the POE and the customs official called the closest tow truck service which was over an hour away. They usually charge by the mile plus labor. Instead of hauling us to the repair shop I had him haul the immobile car and us back to my RV and he put the car carefully back in its portable garage with no damage, all for 350. He would have taken us 1500miles home if requested. It only takes $. I have had AAA plus RV for some time but fired them recently after continual bad experiences with them. AAA service is frequently very poor and the deeper into the boonies you go the worse it gets. I actually had two guys show up with no air tools and no lug wrench big enough to remove the lug nuts. They did have a bill for 150. Today’s experience was pleasant by comparison. Gale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 I had a coil pack failure a few weeks ago 60 miles west of Grand Junction, Colorado. I called Hagerty Insurance who insures my Caterham. they found a tow service and called me back in about 15 minutes. My part of the 60 mile tow back into Grand Junction would have been $500. I said no thanks and called a friend who came out and towed me back to his home on a 12' tow rope behind a Toyota Tundra. I found a new coil pack and fixed it myself and was on the road the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnr Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 AAA Premier coverage includes 1 tow for up to 200 miles and 3 others of 100. You could theoretically chain calls together and get 500 miles out of that. Extra miles have a set cost per mile. You can also get in touch with local Seven and/or Lotus owners who will be happy to help if you have any issues. Once you decide a route and dates we should be able to get you some local contacts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelD Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Bottom line is "Get out your checkbook or charge card." Or call another Seven Owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky dawg Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Since you will be needing car insurance while in North America, the company you select may have Emergency Road Service available as a fairly affordable option. State Farm (and possibly others) will even coordinate the tow truck for you, if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Green Posted August 2, 2013 Author Share Posted August 2, 2013 Lucky Dawg - Brilliant, that is exactly what I wanted to know. I will email now. Thank you Thanks everyone else for your replies. The UK and USA really different ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2k7 Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 if you happened to be in New England area - you can use my trailer and have the car in my house until you make an arrangement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Slightly off topic, but there are several of us here who live in Washington State. Let us know if you would like a sanity check on your route or plans. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Green Posted August 2, 2013 Author Share Posted August 2, 2013 The Canadian part of the drive is from Calgary (if the cars ever arrive they seem to be stuck in the rail head at Vancouver) to Vancouver. So the extra bit of the trip I am thinking of adding is to leave Vancouver and head south on the I5 until I get bored or reach Mexico and then turn right until I hit the coast then up the 101. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Andy, Your adventure sounds interesting. Keep us posted on your travels. Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 I-5 boredom hits within a few miles in a normal car, so doubt you'll make it too far in the se7en. There are a few places you might want to see if you are staying in the Pacific Northwest, including: Olympic Peninsula (rain forest, so weather is hit or miss) Highway 20 (big sweeping corners with beautiful scenery, and Winthrop is an interesting little town) Mt Rainier (great roads, but crowded on weekends) Cannon Beach, Oregon Lot's of great roads, but the fun ones are definitely more remote, so something to consider given the original purpose of this thread. Another thing to consider is taking the ferry from Victoria to Port Townshend, WA instead of Nanaimo to Tsawwassen. This eliminates the boring drive from Vancouver to the border and is a much easier border crossing (The Peace Arch can be very painful). Port Townshend drops you off on 101 with the option of heading East to I-5, or West to the Olympic Peninsula. You could then do a reverse route and head down 101 until you are ready to get back and then jump on I-5 to Vancouver. Lots of options -- should be a great addendum to the GBB. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnr Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 I recently drove the Seven from SF to Seattle and back (http://www.rahulnair.net/blog/2013/07/14/setting-up-a-seven-roadtrip-to-wlcm-2013/) and would strongly recommend the coastal route over I-5. It is both more interesting and a lot cooler. If you make it down to SF we should have a dinner/get together with the local Seven owners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Green Posted August 2, 2013 Author Share Posted August 2, 2013 Here are some photos of Packing the cars if you are interested. Mine is the orange one. Thanks for all your ideas and suggestions. Plenty to contemplate on the long flight to Calgary on Tuesday ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky dawg Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 ... Another thing to consider is taking the ferry from Victoria to Port Townshend, WA instead of Nanaimo to Tsawwassen... -John Just to avoid a little confusion, I think the ferry is actually to Port Angeles, not Port Townsend. There is also a very pleasant ferry from Vancouver Island through the San Juan Islands to Anacortes. Regardless, let those of us in Washington know when you will be in the area and maybe we can show you some hospitality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Lucky Dawg is right, I meant to write Port Angeles. Oh well, at least I got the "Port" part right. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky dawg Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Lucky Dawg is right, I meant to write Port Angeles. Oh well, at least I got the "Port" part right. -John Of course, it is a great drive from Port Angeles to Port Townsend and then a pretty summer ferry ride to Whidbey Island. And then another enjoyable to drive to take another ferry to Mukilteo and onto I-5. Or from Port Angeles, Highway 101 either direction. Towards the coast is the Pacific Ocean and the town of Forks. That may not mean anything to most of us, but if you have kids or grandkids who like the Twilight books and movies, they will treat you like a rock star god if you bring them a gift from there. Like most good summer roads here, the views are spectacular and the curves are fun; if it weren't for those #@%!&* RVs clogging up the lane. Enjoy the GBB and hope to meet up with you down here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wemtd Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 If you stop in Portland OR and are feeling homesick: the Horse Brass Pub used to have a killer lunch. Wish i could join you out west... Cheers P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I have seen those "Hamburg-Sud" containers everywhere-never suspected they could be full of se7ens:)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now