Guitar God

My understanding of Thai law is that anything a thai/farang couple buy after they're married should/could be split 50-50 in the event of a future divorce.

I'm looking at a house in a development where they want 20k deposit, 50k a week later when some papers are signed and 20k a month until the construction is finished at which point we pay the balance and take possession.

At what point is the house "purchased"?

When we pay the 50k and sign a purchase agreement, or after the final paperwork is signef, mortgage is approved, payment is made and the house is transferred into the Thai partner's name?

Short version, to have any future legal claim to half the house, would we need to be married before paying the 50k and signing the purchase agreement, or just before she signs the final papers?

Where at Silom is Super Rich located?

I've narrowed the choice down to a Honda Civic 1.8 E AT Navi and a 1.5 Hybrid Navi.

The 1.8 E has a top speed of 200 km/h, the Hydrid tops out at 160.

The Hybrid is around 1.5 seconds slower 0-100 than the 1.8 E.

The Hybrid isn't available with power seats, they're standard on the 1.8 E.

Hybrid needs the batteries replaced (around 70k) baht after 5 years.

Initial outlay slightly higher for the Hybrid, so are fixed costs if balance is financed. Variable costs lower.

Cost per month for 5 years (purchase price, fuel, insurance) is about 400 baht more per month for the Hybrid, assuming fuel remains at 39B/L.

No sure of the resale value after 5 years, less sure the price of fuel won't increase.

I see a lot more hybrids here than in Europe or the U.S. so there must be some advantage/motivatation, not sure exactly what though.

Go with the new technology? Go for lower cost and better performance? Flip a coin? Any thoughts?

Thanks for the tip, I'll check them out when I'm back. I think my dongs are worthless here in Ubon.

Evidently the Dong is a "soft" currency, like the Egyptian pound. Once you leave the country with some, it's difficult to unload. <insert joke here>

I've got a few million Dong left from a recent trip that I figured I'd convert while waiting for my bags in BKK but the money changers and banks at Suvarnabhumi told me to go to Bangkok but the banks I tried there, and in Ubon, said to exchange it at Suvarnabhumi.

No plans to go back to Vietnam anytime soon. Anyone know of any banks that will change it?

A few years back at the Holidazzle parade in Minneapolis an off-duty police officer providing security got into a van left the door open but half his ass on the seat put the car in gear and drove into the crowd and killed three people.

He was on (prescribed) narcotic painkillers, he wasn't wearing his seatbelt and no charges were filed.

Double standards abound.

I kid you not. I was out with the local police one night here years ago. On the way back the off-duty policeman driving the police car (!) was so drunk he fell out of the thing.

How about awarding drivers licenses based on the ability to drive instead of ability to pay bribes?

I asked how much it would cost me to get a Thai drivers license, the answer was "1050฿, unless you don't pass the test, then maybe 4000฿.

Mandatory seat belt use would keep drivers in place behind the wheel so they could avoid accidents, rather than sliding across the car to the passenger's side after they try some evasive maneuver they once saw in a cartoon, but were pretty sure they could do.

If you're half asleep , quit f*ing driving!

An (thankfully incorrect) answer on a Thai practice written driving test about what to do when you're too tired to drive was

"B: Take some ya ba".

A few street lights on the roads where the most accidents occur would be nice too.

I'm sure the prayers will help too though..

Drunk Ukrainian in Phuket urinates off bridge, falls asleep, then tumbles down ditch. Wakes up, asks to be catheterized.

<snip>

If they are going to send anyone home, let it be the old foreigners who bought a house under false pretences.

Not forgetting to get rid of the foreigners who don't take care of their bodies (the fat and lazy).

Too many Colonel Blimps with their arrogant colonial attitudes floating around.

You know who you are, go home!

Maybe the fashion police and the physique police could join forces, save money and provide an essential social sevice of ridding Thailand of those too chubby to fit in or tourists who don't follow the strict dress code for foreigners here?

</sarcasm>

While waiting to order food at Au Bon Pain I witnessed an example why some American travelers aren't too fond of their fellow countrymen. I remember meeting a lot of backpackers in Europe from the US with Canadian flags sewn to their packs.

This guy was well-dressed, wore a (low-end) gold Tag Heuer watch but was a real a**hole.

He made no effort to say hi to the cashier, not even in English yelled his order at him, got upset when the cashier didn't understand something he hadn't even said yet ( cut in half, on a plate, eat in ) then while they were making his chicken wrap, he talked loudly in the phone and before they served it, he leaned in agressively and made chopping motions with his hand and yelled "Cut, cut cut!"

I hope his next interaction today is with an end-of-his-rope, samurai-carrying Thai taxi driver. What a dick.

You're riggt about that. The most legroom I had in a car was a 61 Austin Healy bugeye Sprite, the foot wells went almost to the headlights. It was so short you could make a U turn on a narrow road.

I have trouble getting into an Izusu truck that's the size of a small aircraft carrier. It's all about the ergonomics. The City just looked too small on the outside.

Jitar- Maybe by "New" they mean "not second hand", and "All new" refers to every part?

Ace of Pop,- What's the car in your avatar?

Thanks, I'll see if there's a Mitsubish dealer nearby and check out the Lancer. I think the FIesta would be too small, I'm a bit lanky. I've already ruled out the Honda City, Mitsubishi Shopping Cart and the Toyota Turd.

I have lived in Thailand for 12 years, as a school teacher and now retired for 5 years. I go out of my way to dress decently and I'm friendly to everyone, saying "Hi" to even people I don't know. I'm highly respected by many Thai's here not only as an elder person, but also a teacher. It's very important what the Thai people think of you especially if you live here fulltime. Most of the time when out shopping I get the Thai price, and when it comes to things like car repairs, I have a very close Thai friend who knows the best places to go to get the best prices, from the friendliest Thai folk. As a foreigner you are a representive of your home country, and it is to your advantage to always show a good face.

I agree. If you're not a citizen, you're a visitor. It's not just about not making your home country look bad, respecting the local culture and customs helps you fit in and get along and you life is easier and more enjoyable.

I'll never forget the five magic words that save me 10%-40% off almost everything I buy " Lot noi, dai mai krap". If I don't get a discount, at least I make them laugh.

To each his own....not everyone is a Sex Tourist, some expats have GF's , wives and families and enjoy a full relationship, that's 'gaining the plot, not losing it.

Does having a Thai wife or gf, when you couldn't get one as young, or as attractive, or at all, in your home country make you not a "sex tourist".

When the only thing you bring to the table is your money.

Nice dream, but in no way reality.

The woman I used to date when I lived in Europe, was just as attractive as my Thai girlfriend (shhh), has her masters degree, pleasant, popular and 3 years younger. Some people prefer it here because of the weather (aside from the 14 degree days in Ubon recently), I'm one.

Yep, but you were 30 then, and you're 60 now, those Euro girls would call the police if you looked at them now.

No, I was a year younger than I am today, this was in 2012, and I'm not 60 for a while yet. I dunno, maybe I remind them of their dad but all but two women I've dated have been younger. When I was 30 I had to card a couple of them. lol

We're having a difficult time finding a house in Ubon, I see a lot of ads for decent houses in Warin Chamrap but my gf dismisses all of them because the area has problems with flooding.

Does it happen everywhere in that area? Are they places in Warin Chamrap that aren't effected by flood waters?

The Mitsu G.T. 2.0. is a regular in stock car from Mitsu, not a Gray Import bout the same price as the Civic. Well worth you looking at one imo. As for test drives in Holiday /Tourist areas they get Afternoon Millionairs pissing them about. Sure there are warts on my Honda noise wise, but nothing AC/DC cant overcome.

Which model? On their site I only see the Attrage, Mirage and Lancer.

The trouble with threads like this is that they're often posted with a "Look at me, I'm the best, I once dressed smartly and all of you in your shorts and flip flops are letting the side down" slant. and they quickly descend into "I'm a better class of expat than you" knob waving contests.....

Okay...now you've got me all self-conscious about the bad hair day I had yesterday, and the Yam chin kai juice spot on my shirt...

They can dress me up, but they can't take me out...

To each his own....not everyone is a Sex Tourist, some expats have GF's , wives and families and enjoy a full relationship, that's 'gaining the plot, not losing it.

Does having a Thai wife or gf, when you couldn't get one as young, or as attractive, or at all, in your home country make you not a "sex tourist".

When the only thing you bring to the table is your money.

Nice dream, but in no way reality.

The woman I used to date when I lived in Europe, was just as attractive as my Thai girlfriend (shhh), has her masters degree, pleasant, popular and 3 years younger. Some people prefer it here because of the weather (aside from the 14 degree days in Ubon recently), I'm one.

I opened a personal account at Bangkok bank on a tourist visa with 10k, but they needed 100k in a deposit account that just sits there until I close the account to get a credit card.

Kasikorn opened a buisness account with 1000 B , so did Thanachart bank. Kasikorn in BKK didn't want to open a personal account without a WP, same bank, different branch said no problem.

Jitar- The brochure I have says "New" Mazda 3. I don't know what the "Old" one looked like though.

Ace of Pop- We're liking the Civic, never had a Honda (automobile) before but they have a good reputation. You wrote "GT 2.0" but I thought "GT3000", I'd keep that one for myself.

The proof is in the pudding, I hope I can drive the Civic and the Mazda to compare, I'll make sure to leave my dork clothes at home. They only problem I ever had getting a test drive in was with a Z-28 IROC HO . They had a "buy it first then drive it policy", so I did. That wasn't in Thailand though. I swear, this place is like a foreign country sometimes...

Thanks for all the insightful comments so far. Based on what I've read, and after seeing the cars and doing a little research I'm leaning towards the Mazda or maybe the Civic.

My other car's a 5.5L so fuel economy isn't normally at the top of my list. The Civic is interesting but the City looks a little small. It will probably come down to a test drive, they do let you test drive cars here, don't they?

Well, this innocent and seemingly uncontroversial thread degraded into an insult-filled argument rather quickly.

I don't go to bars or get away from my work or girlfriend to socialize much. Is that how conversations between foreigners in Thailand usually go in person, or is this strictly a cyber phenomenon ?

I owned a Thai holding company for almost a year before I moved here, no problems with immigration and it made a 3 month B visa simple to get.

When you register your company that might be a good time to consider having your lawyer change the share distribution to 49% you, 48% her and 3% him. Or preferencial shares for you so you have control of the company, which I'm assuming you've financed 100% of.

Nothing anti-Thai intended but the 49%-51% I'm sure is due to Thai laws. Had you started a company in your home country and paid for all of the costs I'm sure you'd own 100% of the shares. My suggestion gets you as close to that here as possible.

I need to buy a car, I've looked at Toyota Vios G/AT 1.5L (700k) and a Mazda 3 Spirit 2.0L (825k). I personally preferred the Mazda 3 but I've heard that in Thailand, parts and service for the Mazda could be more problematic, and used Toyota's are easier to sell.

Toyota is coming out with a new Corolla Altis in Jan 2014 but I haven't seen any specs, photos or prices yet. The 2013 model 1.8 E/AT was priced similar to the Mazda 3 at 830K. There's also the Honda Civic 1.8S/AT in the same price range as the Mazda 3 and Altis 1.8 E/AT

Any suggestions?