@Eric *****

Brandon has explained the downsides in great detail.. and imo people should heed his warnings!

@Jan *****************

You are absolutely right!

@William **********

What is, a 'motorcycle endorsement' exactly.. the motor car and motorbike licenses require completely separate applications.. and their own set of supporting documents.. and you receive individual licenses for each category.. however, your comment infers the motor car license will be 'endorsed' to allow you to also ride a motorcycle.. which is not true of course.. I'm sure you are well aware of this already.. but your terminology could be misconstrued and mislead someone if they are new to Thailand!

As others have already pointed out.. parts for any US/European car are very expensive in Thailand.. compared to any of the Japanese marques that is.. but added to this you'll find independent garages will shy away from tackling repairs on a Ford.. mainly because they don't have the knowledge base and lack the experience.. whereas they can handle literally any repair on a Japanese car.. so driving a Ford means you will become tied to main dealer servicing forever.. and sadly the standard of service from the main dealers here in CM is appalling.. and I'm speaking from personal experience! Ps. I'd also consider an Isuzu M-ux or Mitsubishi Pajero.

Given that you are both Canadian.. I'm assuming that you were not married in Thailand.. and unless you have done this already I'd suggest you obtain a translated copy of your marriage certificate.. meaning from English into Thai.. before you travel to Thailand.. this is likely to be needed at some stage of your future dealings with the Thai authorities.. and will probably be less costly to acquire in your home country.. it also removes the inconvenience of trying to get it done here.. especially if you suddenly need to produce it quickly.. just a thought!

@Jason ******

I've sent you a PM via messenger 👍

Why does your bank need to know you are no longer intending to be a 'tax resident' of the UK.. you should change your correspondence address to your son's / daughter's address in the UK (with their permission of course) in order to give yourself an official or 'bone-fide' address for all your UK business.. then you get on with your life.. you can even maintain your UK mobile number by transferring it to a low cost expat telephony service.. so you will still be contactable on the same number.. and nobody needs to know where you choose to sleep at night ;)

Singapore also imposes certification of tax clearance before a foreigner can leave the country.. if your employment pass (or other work permit) is cancelled you cannot travel if there is an outstanding tax liability.. your passport is blocked by immigration!

If you are a mature guy looking for a serious relationship with a 'wholesome' Thai girl / woman.. and are looking for a long term partner / wife.. rather than a good-time girl who doesn't share your aspirations.. then I'd advise batchelor boys to expand their social circle.. and focus on friending expat guys who are in longstanding marriages to Thai women.. either through sports affiliations or coffee clubs etc.. because their spouses have a huge network of friends and relatives that will include many single women who are in the market for a boyfriend / one-day husband.. and once you become buddies with the husband it will eventually give you access to that network of lovely women his wife knows.. either through invitations to social events they are holding.. or simply by being more direct and asking for introductions.. there's nothing that Thai women like more than match making.. because they want to see their girl friends happy and all loved-up.. but the point is that you will be farming in a much more socially up-market category.. and will reduce the risk of dating disingenuous women.. possibly saving yourself a lot of time and money in the process.. but this is where western men have got it all wrong.. in so much that it's not whether a potential Thai girlfriend is good enough for the farang.. if you are shopping in this league its all about whether the farang is good enough for them.. and I'm not talking about wealth here but in terms of character and good spirit.. because you have to get through the gatekeeper remember.. and if she gets any bad vibes then it ain't gonna happen.. no matter how big your wad might be!

Once you get a yellow book you should never need to get another residence certificate.. it's issued by the Amphur/Municipality where you live after meeting fairly stringent criteria.. and is prima-facia evidence of address.. akin to the blue book held by many citizens.. I've never been asked for a RC once when dealing with any govt agency here when I've produced my yb.. but this is not easy to get if you are on a tourist visa or are not married to a Thai!