Dakhar

I'd like to bring over my 1995 BMW M3. It has low miles on it, 46K to be exact. It is 240 hP, I have no idea how to do it, but it sure would be nice to have..... although, it is left hand drive.... bummer

I did live in Taiwan a few years.... What I liked about it... it is 24/7... If you are hungry, just walk out of the apt. you will find food instantly.

The people, really nice folks over there. The beauty, yes the girls are pretty too, not long Thai, but they are still beautiful in their own rights. Taiwanes are kind people.... The mountains, the scenery, the jungles... there is little to say bad about Taiwan.... but, Taipei, I could do without. Too crowded and too poluted for my tastes. But in genearal I loved the place.

Pretty good food there too, but I must say I like Thai food better.

I will not tell you where I am from...

From my story, you should know instantly.

I introduced my wife to some woman.... and her response was....

"Oh my son lived in Taiwan for several years.... He speaks Japanese too."

Oh what a retard, and no this was not a conversation with Mrs. Bush.

I am planning on doing the co. route... But the co. really will be legitimate. I want to own town houses and rent them out. Is this plan a poor plan....?

Her car has the MSport kit on it, which adds horsepower and torque. Chipping it would be the next logical step. I wonder how much supercharging it in LOS would cost ?

Over here, the M-packadge means a M tuned suspension, M rims, M gear shift... basically everything, but the M-power plant. The engined is not tweaked at all. My father has a 2002 530IS with the M packadge. So it has a stiffer ride, and the other M parts... but no power plant.

To super charge an E36 M3 here in the states will rund a good 7-10K USD. The low price is for the parts alone. I have to admitt... costly, but once done correctly.... you would have a trully untouchable vehicle. Not even the new E46 M3 could hang.....

But you would need a 6th gear in order to reach the full potential of a super charged E36 M3 (or even a non supercharged M3 E36).... which is something the American version did not come with!!!!! Bummer.

I've never actually owned a car..haha..always seems to be one handy.

I love the new E46 body shape. In LOS my wife owns a 330ci coupe, E46 body shape, with full factory MSport kit on it.Not quite the M3, but in my opinion the next best 3 series coupe.Sometimes I take it for a blat on the tollways and ring roads...gotta love that German engineering. I was toying with the idea of putting a Harmon kit on it, but I've sorta lost interest.

E46 330 CI I beleive was tuned down in Thailand. I bet it would be easy to bring it up in power. This is something we owners of the American version M E36 do very often. You replace the chip with a "sport" chip, add a better air intake system, for a gain of 15-20 hp. Which still does not place an American M E36 in hp range of the Euro model. But it sure does make one smile when you feel all of that torque. The real problem is, when you do this (at least in my case) you have to always use high octane gas.... and gas is getting crazy out of hand expensive.

I have ridden in the E46 American version... it was very close to what an M E36 can deliver. But heavier, that is for sure. Over all, a very nice car.

Yep, those Germans can build a car!

Umm

I guess I have done a bad thing according to the above post.

Here it goes....  I just recently had a 7 Town house complex built much like you described.  It is a 2 story complex.  2bdr,1 bath, Living room area, an attached wash area for clothes no kitichen, no AC, no Hot water.

It cost around 80K, land, dirt work, taxes, build etc.    I had it built along Clong 6.  It ran about 16$USD to have built, and again that includes everything.

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Sorry guys/gals

I just read my post.... I didn't write it too accuratley. It was 16$ USD a square foot, and total around 80K USD to have built (tax, dirt work, land) turn key.

Oh and to Digger. Yes I did pay it all off, no loans.

Depending how fast they rent out... I may do it again.

Umm

I guess I have done a bad thing according to the above post.

Here it goes.... I just recently had a 7 Town house complex built much like you described. It is a 2 story complex. 2bdr,1 bath, Living room area, an attached wash area for clothes no kitichen, no AC, no Hot water.

It cost around 80K, land, dirt work, taxes, build etc. I had it built along Clong 6. It ran about 16$USD to have built, and again that includes everything.

I recently had a 7 town house complex built. It was finished and open for occupancy about 6 weeks ago. Total investment, land & building costs.... 80K USD. So far I only have one town house rented. I should have a second by the end of the week. But it has been stressful thinking that the complex can just stand their empty. Granted the complex is paid for..... but really if I wanted to sell the entire complex, I doubt I could.... you need a buyer for that. So although I am not loosing money on interest, I could be loosing 80K$.

The complex is designed for Thais. No water hearter and no AC. Solid walls, 2 floors, 2bdr, 1 bathroom.... I could live there, but I am the type that likes to rough it. The point is, there is not a lot of maintainence for the complex. Yep, a lot of painting, but that is just about it.

Lopburi3

My accountant has also said the same in reg. to the 10K.

I'd be using the saftey deposit box methodology IF I had the need.

Not sure what the answer is... I think it would be yes.

But lets paint a fuller picture... Are you married to a Thai? Is the land/home under her name? Is you marriage officail with the Thai govt? Does your wife have a Thai tax ID#?

Other curious question, lets say you are married to a Thai, and she does have a tax ID number, and you marriage is official.... Still, there is no way possible you will ever own the land/house etc. due to Thai laws... so why would you have to pay tax?

I'd recommend you check with Sunbelt, they probably can assist you in this, and the with the language barrier.

Good luck.

amen

I don't know much about squaters land rights... or lack there of.

I think you have to farm it while you squat on it, after a period of time (I think ten yrs.) you can file for a squaters title. You get the title, but with the conditions that you can not sell the land, nor genearate revenue from that land by other means besides farming.....

Now my friend, this all is conjecture, I am sure there are those on this forum that can help you further than my statements.

Sounds to me it is "squaters" titled land. But I really can not speak with authority on this

Yes the E36 M3 in America was tuned down... a concept those in Thailand should be able to understand very well.

The E46 M3 is not tuned down, thankfully.

Any how, the E36 American version does 0-60 in around 5.4 seconds and tops out at 150 mph. Where it lacks in hp, it makes up in torque. I am just fine with the little ol' American version at 27+ mpg, it is kinda hard to complain.

Best I have ever owned, BMW M3, Best I have ever driven BMW M3

Question, can I import it to Thailand? (Left Hand Drive, 240 (stock) hp)

I recently had some town houses built. That is the "Thai" version of a town house. To an American, they are bassic 2 bdr apartments. They have 1 living room, 1 bath, 2 bdr, car port, and wash area out back of the apt. No hot water, and no AC.

In total, the building contains about 5000 sq ft of living space and including land/taxs etc.... the build cost was around 16 US Dollars a sq ft. A total of around 80K USD

The hope is we rent out each one of the apts. (7) at 3,500 a month. We had the complex finished about 4 weeks ago, and so far only one apt has been rented. Luckily, I am here in the US still, so the money earned off of the venture is not that critical.

Ok,

So America should get sued because they have a technology that others do not have.... makes sense. Tell you what... to all those other nations that lack the technology... America has just decided to pull the plug on their warning system. Now nobody has it, makes everything fair, Eh?

Khun,

Actually I have a Doctorate degree.... but again, in a field that it extremely narrow. There is seldom a carrer ladder in my field. Once you have the job, you are usually the boss, from day one. No where else to go. The pay is good, but again an extremely narrow and obscure field.

Dakhar

You may not have a uni degree but have a he11 of alot of common sense. I like your analytical skills on the comparisons of work. I never thought of it that way but I never thought of working in thailand other than maybe letting my money work for me. I don't even think of that anymore as my money will stay home where things are more safe and produce income. To much foreign garbage walking around thailand today just looking for the next foreigner they can get a commission off from for almost anything you can think of. Your bound to succeed

using your thinking like yo do. Good Luck

Khun,

Good wisdom....

"""I am speaking from experience and it is not what you think you need today that is your important issue. I know plenty that done the same as you are thinking to do and most of them made it until they were to old and out of the market to long to go back and get a decent job. They are back home barely making it now. Many others hate their present life being a slave to economical conditions they created due to loose thinking like your talking about in earlier years."""

  This discription is my worst nightmare.  What my wife fails to understand is that when I go to Thailand, I am litterally handicapped.  I have what is called a "communication disorder" in Thailand.  I will not be able to earn the type of income as I can here over there.  No, I don't mean in USD.  What I mean is, if I make 5 times your avg. house hold income in the US....   I don't have what it takes to make 5 times the avg. Thai income over there.   I will become handicapped as soon as I step off of the plane.   My profession is extremely narrow, and most people don't even understand what I do...    and that is in America.  In Thailand there is only one college that offers a degree in my field.  So in other word's I doubt my talents are valued.  

  Anyhow, my goal is to do what you said, hold tight, save the money and go when it is right.  I also go to Thailand once a year, and sniff around for oppertunities.

Hope one day, I can do as you have done.

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Khun,

Good wisdom....

"""I am speaking from experience and it is not what you think you need today that is your important issue. I know plenty that done the same as you are thinking to do and most of them made it until they were to old and out of the market to long to go back and get a decent job. They are back home barely making it now. Many others hate their present life being a slave to economical conditions they created due to loose thinking like your talking about in earlier years."""

This discription is my worst nightmare. What my wife fails to understand is that when I go to Thailand, I am litterally handicapped. I have what is called a "communication disorder" in Thailand. I will not be able to earn the type of income as I can here over there. No, I don't mean in USD. What I mean is, if I make 5 times your avg. house hold income in the US.... I don't have what it takes to make 5 times the avg. Thai income over there. I will become handicapped as soon as I step off of the plane. My profession is extremely narrow, and most people don't even understand what I do... and that is in America. In Thailand there is only one college that offers a degree in my field. So in other word's I doubt my talents are valued.

Anyhow, my goal is to do what you said, hold tight, save the money and go when it is right. I also go to Thailand once a year, and sniff around for oppertunities.

Hope one day, I can do as you have done.

Ask the farmer if he is happy, ask if his family members are happy. The answer will probably be "Yes."

You base you idea of fairness upon money. There are a lot of rich folk that are not happy. (which is a strange concet to me, but it is true)

But lets get back to your deffinition of fairness. If all people are financialy equal.... well, things just wont work well. There will no longer be an incentive to work hard, to achieve and to become all that a person can become. The quality of health care, I can garuntee would suffer. Would you want someone that has no ambition to manage you money? It would scare me!

As sad as it may seem, levels of wealth are necessary. Also, don't feel so bad, a lot of folk, even if given the oppertunity to achieve more, earn more etc. would turn it down. They are happy with their lives and their situation. Seems odd to fathom, but it is true.

Wow...

This is a testament to how addictive Thailand can be. This fellow here, has to be earning around 250K to save 8k a month in America, but yet he is willing to walk away from it all.

That is trully amazing.

In some respects I am in the same delima. I am 32 years old. The wife wants to return to Thailand. In fact she spends about 3-4 months of the year over there, as I get the honor of staying home and working.... Ah the burden that husbands carry. I earn around 1/2 as much as much as the author of this thread. So my saving ability is not as great.

So any how, I have the same question... How much, and when is it the right time to make my life over there? Currently, I have had some town houses built in Thailand, and every time I go there I look for other investment opertunities. When I get there, I figure I do not want to have to work... I want to work becuase I want to work....

A huge difference.

From my estimates, I would say 600K USD would be adequate to live like a king. At your rate of savings you could have that in 6 years. Kind of depressing, but it could be done, and with you investing tallents, you could probably do it even faster than that.

Another problem we face is that the Thai govt. on a whim could change the rules and require a falang to ear 80K rather than 40K.... if you have only saved enough to put you in the position for a 40K income..... TOOO BAD, BYE BYE... so you just can't set your goals to 40K a month. My wife fails to understand this logic.

HHHMMM

I can tell you that in Taiwan, the Japanese are not very well liked. Due to the many crulties that Japan commitied during WW II. I would not be surprised if this were the case in Thailand, when you consider the large population of Chinese in Thailand, and the fact that Japan did occupy Thailand for a certain length of time.

For some strange reason the Taiwanese (no offense intended) feel that the Koreans are the lowliest of lows... Why that is, I don't know. I am not even sure if they have a different opinion toward the northern, or southern Koreans. Don't feel bad, I would not doubt if us Americans are felt as the lowliest of all people of white origin. Quite an honor.... Thanks Mr. Shrub. Soon we will be the poorest.... Oh well, the burden of being number one will finally be shed. What a relief!

So location seems pretty prime. So lets assume location is fine for the venture. The question at hand would be the, is the margin to expense ratio good enough to make one want to invest in an internet cafe?

The odds of success are much higher if you are in a high traffic location with lots of tourist. Then if you can work a deal with an existing business where you will pay 35% of the gross sales for rent, electricity, ISP and labor. You provide the computers and only are called when you need to recharge the smart card reader cards or if a computer breaks down. On average, you'll work 4 hours a week and make a 50% ROI in a year. Impressive but only around 20,000 in your pocket per month. You need to have 5 shops to be making around 100K net per month. A good return for 20 hours a week.

Risk: If the existing business closes in the middle of the night and steals your computers!

www.sunbeltasia.com

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Thanks Sunbelt. I will need to look into the start up costs... but I think I can keep that fairly low. I have an in-law in Thailand that owns his own computer company, and from what I understand, owns his own computer mfg. facility. He produces his own brand, much like ACER or E-Machine idea. So the computer costs could be low. The Dorms being built are owned by my mother in-law, and the neighboring town houses are owned by my wife... so this is how I have the inside info on future development in that area. Secondly, because they are family, and basically control that area, I do not need to worry about competition... we can manopolize that area. (albiet a small area)

Also, 20K Baht a month, sounds pretty tempting, when compared to 75K USD to build 7 town houses that should produce roughly the same amount of money as the internet cafe. So I would say the costs to margin Ratio is pretty good.

Thanks for the info.... (oh I also like the 4 hours a week work part)