My brother is as into biking as I am. He doesn't have a bike fetish like me and he's not really into vintage, although he does have a nice Duarte (Colombian) Tour de l'Avenir. He just bought a Trek 1000 for recreational rides but he could use a good credit card tourer because he does a lot of that. It could have a steel frame but would have to have modern components. I don't even know what they make these days, it seems like you have to spend at least $2000 before you get anything remotely interesting. Maybe a Riv or something like that.

My sister is not so into biking but she does love old retro stuff, so she's cheaper and easier on this. A vintage balloon-tired single-speed would tickle her fancy, and she lives in Miami where the only climbs are freeway passes.