VW diesels never sold well? Haha, what a hoot! They sell every one they
bring in, VWOA just never brings in ENOUGH! Last parts search I did turned
up over 20 TDI engines from $1000-2500. The 1Z-AHU engine codes used in
Germany are used here in the 1996-early 1999 Passat and Jetta and use the
exact same parts. A decent TDI conversion can be done for under $10K if you
know what you're doing. Just like any conversion. And I mean professionally,
not individually.

Karl

On Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:49:21 -0400, John Reddick <SVYOLO@YAHOO.COM> wrote:

>The reason diesels are not popular Vanagon conversions in the US is that
>their were very few auto diesels, of any type, sold  in the US.  The only
>one that fits is a VW.  They never sold well in the US.  The engines are
>scarce and extremely expensive on the used market. A TDI conversion, using a
>new engine, would cost 14,000 bucks to produce. You then have to regear your
>transmission.  Mandatory if you want to drive on the highway.  You are now
>into a 16,000 engine conversion.
>    An individual might find the odd used engine here or there, but as a
>full time business the engines are effectively unavailable.  Importing used
>engines from Europe is economically feasible, but they have no parts support
>here in the US. None. Nobody reputable would sell an engine that cannot be
>supported, save the folks that import the South African stuff.
>    We would love to offer TDI conversions.  It is simply not an
>economically feasible adventure.  We have been asked at least a dozen times
>if we would do a TDI conversion.  We always said yes. When we quoted 14k,
>plus the transmission rebuild, nobody ever bought one.
>    I know one of the next posts will be "wow, I can't wait for one of those
>new Subaru diesels." For the forseeable future in the US, they are not
>available either.
>    Before I ever did my first conversion  (SVX Westy) a few years ago I
>looked into all available options, including a TDI.  I looked for an
>affordable TDI engine for a year with no luck. In the end, the SVX was
>affordable and available locally. It cost me 2-4k less than it would have
>cost to do a TDI.