Its been a few years but I had to bring paperwork... a MUST.

Also, oddly, you will need to bring crisp brand new $20 USD bills. I don't recall if that was for the VT Immigration or the Thai Embassy but one of them is very fussy about the matter.

ALWAYS check the stamp. If the goof it you can get them to fix it on the spot.. If you discover there is an issue later it's at least day to get them to fix it.

AIS is the service I use.

I think US phones won't work here. You will need to be able to swap SIMS and I think most US phones aren't able to do that.

It's been a few years but I have gotten a Reentry permit from the immigration office, no appointment. I had to spend an hour or two.

I have never spent more than 15 minutes at the Airport immigration to get a reentry permit. The point is perhaps appointments are for groups of people to help avoid delays.

I am married and choose to use Tourist Visas.

If your son is married to a Thai person they are eligible for a Marriage Visa. There is a lot of paperwork to complete. I think the hassle is worth it, to live in Thailand but I find the tourist visa is an easier option. Perhaps one day my luck will change and I will feel differently but that isn't today (or the past couple of years)..

About 2 weeks. It seems it takes about 5 business days for them to respond. They always ask for more paperwork which takes a couple more days.

They do that sometimes, don't be alarmed. They let you in.

I stay in Wongamat area. It's about 2-5 km from beach road. Its quiet but near to all the other stuff.

The North end of Beach Road is pretty quiet with more upscale hotels. North of Soi 6.

You can open a Thai bank account on a tourist visa but it takes a bit. I would recommend an agent.

Banks are bit different here (compared to the US). When you open an account at a branch, it becomes your "home branch" and you will need to get all your special paperwork from that branch, you may be able to use the main branch ( I have never done this but I have been told its possible). The issue is when you open an account in one location (Bangkok) and decide to live in another location (Krabi, as an example). You will need to get paperwork from the bank and only your home branch can provide that paperwork (Bangkok). The same is true for immigration. You will need bank statements for some visas.

I would encourage you to open an account near where you plan to live.

Some people have found ways around this, but do you really want the hassle?

I wouldn't know anything about the motorcycle. However, I have applied for on gotten a Thai tourist eVisa from my home country (US) while in Thailand. Of course I had to leave and come back to activate it. When I applied they requested I show proof of my arrival. They were specific about flight details. It turns out the Thai Embassy in the US is kinda flexible about where you are when you apply.