Everolimus and Vatalanib in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologic proof of cancer that is now unresectable (solid tumors, excluding lymphoma) * Ability to provide informed consent * Willingness to return to Mayo Clinic Rochester for follow up * Life expectancy \>= 12 weeks * Prior anti-VEGF therapy allowed * Cohort IIA: Patients meeting other eligibility criteria, regardless of histopathologic diagnosis; tumor that is amenable to biopsy; willingness to provide blood specimens, undergo DCE-MRI, and undergo brachial artery ultrasound measurements as required by the protocol * The following laboratory values obtained =\< 14 days prior to registration: Negative for proteinuria based on dip stick reading OR, if documentation of +1 result for protein on dip stick reading, then total urinary protein =\< 500 mg and measured creatinine clearance (CrCl) \>= 50 mL/min from a 24-hour urine collection * Cohort IIB: Patients meeting other eligibility criteria AND with pathologic diagnosis of metastatic kidney cancer, neuroendocrine carcinoma, melanoma, and NSCLC; willingness to provide blood specimens required and undergo brachial artery ultrasound measurements * The following laboratory values obtained =\< 14 days prior to registration: ANC \>= 1500/uL; Hgb \>= 9 g/dL; PLT \>= 100,000/uL; Total bilirubin =\< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN); AST =\< 3 x ULN or AST =\< 5 x ULN if liver involvement; Creatinine =\< 1.5 x ULN; INR =\< 1.4 (Cohort IIA only) Exclusion Criteria: * Any of the following prior therapies: Full field radiation therapy =\<4 weeks prior to registration or limited field radiation therapy =\< 2 weeks prior to registration; Radiation to \>30% of bone marrow; Major surgery (i.e., laparotomy) =\< 4 weeks prior to registration; Minor surgery =\< 2 weeks prior to registration * New York Heart Association classification III or IV * Uncontrolled hypertension, labile hypertension or history of poor compliance with antihypertensive medication * Active, bleeding diathesis or on any anticoagulant except patients receiving heparin for deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis (not treatment) * CNS metastases or seizure disorder * Other concurrent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, or any ancillary therapy considered investigational (utilized for a non-FDA-approved indication and in the context of a research investigation * Any concurrent severe and/or uncontrolled medical conditions which could compromise participation or pose as unnecessary risk to the patient in the study, including, but not limited, to the following: Unstable angina; Myocardial infarction =\< 6 months prior to registration; Serious uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia; Uncontrolled diabetes * Any concurrent severe and/or uncontrolled medical conditions which could compromise participation or pose as unnecessary risk to the patient in the study, including, but not limited, to the following: Interstitial pneumonia or extensive and symptomatic interstitial fibrosis of the lung; QTc \> 500 msec; Patients who require chronic treatment with PPI or H2 antagonist * Impairment of gastrointestinal (GI) function or GI disease that may significantly alter the absorption of PTK787/ZK 222584 (i.e., ulcerative disease, uncontrolled nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, malabsorption syndrome, bowel obstruction, or inability to swallow the tablets) * Known standard therapy for the patient's disease that is potentially curative or definitely capable of extending life expectancy * Chemotherapy =\< 3 weeks; Mitomycin C/nitrosoureas =\< 6 weeks; Immunotherapy =\< 2 weeks; Biologic therapy =\< 2 weeks; Prior investigational therapy =\< 4 weeks; Full field radiation therapy =\< 4 weeks or limited field radiation therapy =\< 2 weeks; Radiation to \> 30% of bone marrow; Major surgery (i.e., laparotomy) =\< 4 weeks; or Minor surgery =\< 2 weeks prior to registration * Any of the following: pregnant women; nursing women; men or women of childbearing potential who are unwilling to employ adequate barrier contraception * Patients on whom DCE-MRI is contraindicated (e.g., presence of MRI-incompatible metallic implants or prosthetic heart valves, pacemakers, etc.) are ineligible * ECOG performance status (PS) 3 or 4 * Treatment with medications listed in Appendix I for which no safer or more efficacious alternative is available * Uncontrolled infection * Failure to fully recover from acute, reversible effects of prior chemotherapy regardless of interval since last treatment