Australia has my vote. I like snakes and the rally scene has got to be amazing. Hmmmm. How much does beer cost down under? 
Australia has my vote. I like snakes and the rally scene has got to be amazing. Hmmmm. How much does beer cost down under?
Australia is a pretty God place to live, and despite popular internet lore, not nearly as deadly as everyone thinks.
Poisonous snakes don't tend to freely roam the streets of suburbia killig all and sundry. Spiders happen, but there hast been a recorded Spider fatality in decades. I've been in Sydney for over 10 years now and have never seen a funnel web in the wild.
Job wise, because it's a smaller market, migration and working visas can be a little tricky, but it doesn't seem to be any harder than the American Green card system. As English speakers, provided you have a required skill set and a decent work ethic, I wouldn't see being American as a hindrance.
Keep in mind, cost of living here is reasonably high. Things cost more, rents are quite high in the major cities etc. That said, if you wanted to move here, the Eastern states are your best bet in terms of job opportunities and a fair variety of Motorsports. Your desired climate would dictate wether you choose Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne.
Also, our neighbours, New Zealand are pretty awesome. Smaller job markets may be a hindrance, but they are friendly and progressive people. They have a pretty good car culture, and given that they haven't had their own manufacturing sector, have a really good range of imports. Plenty Of jdm, quite a bit of classic American iron as well as alot of the aussie stuff.
In reply to EastCoastMojo:
The pub at the end of my street sells a schooner (425ml) of full strength (4.9%) beer for $4.80.
The bottle Shop outside sells a long neck (750ml) for 5.40
A carton of beer (24 cans or bottles in 330 -375 ml size) for $35-45 depending on Brand and location.
I would have sent you vb last Christmas if US customs weren't so anti alcohol hahaha
Oh, as for guns, we've got them, but cost is much higher than the US and the access is ridiculously tight by comparison.
There are plenty of shooting clubs where you can get into pistol shooting, rifles and Clay target shooting. That's going to be the easiest way to get access to firearms.
Personal ownership is allowed, but a license is required, and the storage and transportation regulations are quite tight.
We have a fairly active hunting scene if that's your thing.
My Brother owns a couple of rifles for hunting purposes, he's had no dramas other than waiting periods and getting his licence.
Forget concealed carry, won't happen. And say goodbye to stuff like ar15's, and pretty much anything rapid Fire. Some lever actions are allowed, from memory pump actions are pretty much non available these days.
captdownshift wrote: Carribean islands are surprisingly supportive of rally and hillclimb.
+1
Barbados in particular
I have no desire to ever live anywhere else. None whatsoever. I wouldn't mind visiting many places but would never leave permanently.
In terms of Western European countries, if you have a good education, it's fairly easy to get a "blue card" from Belgium or the Netherlands, which have decent car scenes themselves. Once you get your blue card you can move to or work anywhere in the EU.
Netherlands has two circuits - TT Circuit Assen and Zandvoort and Belgium has Zolder and Spa. That's a lot of big-time road courses in a relatively small area.
Everyone speaks English
The problem is finding a job that will hire you only speaking fluent English.
Are you wanted by the authorities? A celebrity upset about this whole Trump thing?
In reply to drdisque:
Just keep in mind that Belgium has insane regulation when it comes to modifying cars - basically, no power improvements allowed, period.
BoxheadTim wrote: In reply to drdisque: Just keep in mind that Belgium has insane regulation when it comes to modifying cars - basically, no power improvements allowed, period.
Yeah, ideally you'd either own a stock older Porsche or BMW or Peugeot 309 GTI or would have a dedicated race car, which would require a tow vehicle, so it would have to be light enough to tow behind a transit or sprinter.
In reply to drdisque:
When we were heading back to Frankfurt from the ring we ended up behind a 5 series bmw sedan towing a trailer with a 3 series on it. I found it to be hilarious with all the "you need a 1 ton to haul a VW" talk in the us.
In reply to plance1:
Not wanted by the authorities. Not a celebrity. Sure as heck not thrilled to go through bush Jr. Part 2. But more an academic question as, if anything, trump means this country needs me to stay for the cleanup.
Adrian_Thompson wrote: Serious Q, any one seriously looked into Australia or New Zealand? I always thought that they had pretty restrictive immigration rules for living and working. One thing we forget with all the rhetoric is that the US is a very open and welcoming country for people to move too legally. Look at places like Germany where you can live there for 3-4 generations and people born there are still not citizens.
I have a cousin who was born in NZ and carries dual citizenship. He used to fabricate drag racers, and now is a used Porsche parts importer/restorer/customizer. It's a pretty chill place. Great for raising a family, great for messing with cars. The government is pretty candid about what it takes to immigrate, and it isn't as hard as you might think. They have an ongoing youth brain drain to places with more vibrant economies, so if you are skilled and young they want you. If you are older and want to retire there, you have to bring a good bit of money with you so that you won't be a drag on the free medical care and what not.
Ovid_and_Flem wrote:captdownshift wrote: Carribean islands are surprisingly supportive of rally and hillclimb.+1 Barbados in particular
However it's particularly bad on the "economically viable" scale. Has some of the harshest import duties in the Caribbean (not counting Cuba of course) including a ban on importing cars 5~25 years old all thanks to regulatory capture by a car dealership owner, naturally high shipping costs, a cost of living that's more like Monaco than Mexico (a helpful line I came up with after my cousin dropped by for a visit with $50 to spend LOL) and an economy that pretty much runs on nepotism and has been in the E36 M3ter for the better part of a decade now.
But yes it has possibly the best motorsports scene in the Caribbean. Has some autocross and dexterity, plenty of stage rally & hillclimb, club racing for cars and motorcycles, and even offroad rally. 2 tracks on the island and one is really swanky now (because inequality has been visibly skyrocketing since the economy tanked).
So if you want to get a highly skilled job (after much searching...plus some side-hustle), work your ass off and live the ramen bachelor lifestyle to race crapcans with me, come on down...otherwise stay away if you're not already loaded. It's a nice place to visit but living here is another matter.
itsarebuild wrote: Sure as heck not thrilled to go through bush Jr. Part 2.
Your optimism is admirable.
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