It's amazing! You get first hand accounts on how much slower, how expensive, and un-enjoyable the VW diesel swap is and people still want to do it! Incredible!

There are just as many people out there who love their VW diesel swaps, i mean, you do realize they are those things called opinions right?  I don't care about speed or power, i want reliability in a small easy to work on platform, it doesn't really exist in US markets.  (trackicks are nearly perfect)

I had a "different" toyota pickup and the only reason i sold it was because i didn't feel like waiting anymore for a diesel worth buying to pop up... but i might ultimately go that route again...crappy how that stuff works out.

(Edit HP numbers...thanks for catching my error Jereimiah):
The 1.6 TD has 68 HP and 98 ft lbs torque (peak TQ at 2800RPM)
The 1.6 16v 95HP at 5,600rpm and 98 ft lbs torque at 3,500rpm

..... i knew that  ... i'm scattered brained lately, i was honestly thinking they were comparable to the 1.6, but they are more like the 1.3s.  However, on another forum, some one said they move around the city MUCH better than the 1.6s do, but like it has been said, loose alot on the freeway, but i don't do much freeway travel, and i don't go above the speed limit anyways.  Thanks for reminding me though.

A v6 isn't an option, i will never work on anything, unless i'm being paid to, with more than one bank of cylinders, as well as i don't want to loose fuel mileage.

If it was the beginning of the summer and i could find a TDI for less that 4k, i would much rather do that

Also, swapping in a diesel makes a lift and larger tires much more reasonable, ie gearing becomes a non-issue, well, mostly, and in my area i won't have any problems finding vegetable oil.

Diesel may live longher, but it's not difficult to source a 1.6L 16V or 2.0L on-the-cheap with low miles. Good luck finding an affordable 1.6L TD that's not at the end of it's life.

the 1.6TD i've found only has 100k on it, which is the same as my trackick, and he only wants 1k for it.  Yes, MUCH longer, if your maintenance the engine properly 400k isn't uncommon, and i'll just rebuild the drivetrain as much as needed.  Maybe its different from area to area, but its really difficult to find 1.6 parts around here, took a  guy 2 months to find a head for the 1.6.  Also, from the searching i have done, i have come across very few 1.6s.

My opinion, sell your rusty rig and spend $2k on a less rusty one that runs well.  That is basically no work at all, costs less $$, and lets you enjoy the summer out on the trail instead of in the shop.

i've literally spent all of my free time for like the last two and a half years wrenching on something... didn't really realize it until my girlfriend said something last night when i was talking about all this.  Originally, i wanted a trackick because of how small they are and because there is a pretty cool aftermarket, along with a few neat lifts in production.  Cars are fun as long as they are quick and handle well, or are made to handle well, but i like 4wd a lot, as well, its generally easier to crawl under a 4wd, especially with a small lift on it.  Everything is very small, so its much easier to take apart, vs dealing with what is generally found on a 4wd.  Yeah, but i don't think a diesel is in my near future, but nor do i think "restoring" the trackick will be a particularly bright idea ether.  It was great at first, as i planned on replacing the engine and bedlining the interior, as it doesn't have carpet or... most of the interior for that matter, but $400 is cheap for any vehicle, regardless of problems..  

Thanks for the input guys, and a diesel will be in my future at some point... but maybe ultimately the VW/trackick combination is flawed from the beginning, as i have worried about destroying that tiny little transmission/transfcase from the swap.

The 1.6L TD won't produce enough HP / torque to hurt the transmission. Many people have run that combo with GREAT success. In fact, people run engines (hot-rod V6) producing 2x as much power as that VW engine will ever hope to hit and the trans are still fine. The troubles are much further down the line (aluminum front diff, and CV joints). Swap out a steel front, or strap down the aluminum diff better (cheap & easy), and the "fuse" will be the cheap / easy to replace CV (If you're running under 33" tires, it's going to be hard to break anything though).

If you can get a 1.6L TD w/ 100k miles for only $1000, JUMP ALL OVER IT. That's a $4000 engine, you'll be able to run virtually-free fuel, and it's a SUPER reliable engine. There will be some other expenses (engine to trans adapter, motor mounts, bigger radiator...), but contact ACME for those. They're reportedly the way to fly for VW diesel swaps. They treat you well weather you buy the whole kit, or just one or two parts.

thats good to know about the trans.. honestly... my mind is literally not working correctly as of late.  (95hp/torque trade for 65/95 hp torque = broken parts???....)  Well, my girlfriend is rich... lol, not really, she is just amazing with her money, so she said she would front me the money for what i needed for the adapter/random parts (already have enough for the engine), but i'd rather not take advantage of her, and i have other sources of.  That said, some one called on the car and sounded pretty interested, so might not even need to worry about it.  BUT JEREMIAH YOU HAVE RE-CONVINCED ME, no, but seriously, i was thinking about the lift with the 1.6 16v ... and i would LOOSE my gas mileage, where as with the diesel the larger tires would be a must, as well as calmini's stiffer front springs dealing with the extra weight.   ...that said... going to have to deal with the body now, but i'll probably take care of that stuff after the swap.  Honestly, biggest issue i JUST realize about not going diesel is running a lift/larger tires on the original engine without regearing hurts mileage and seems to be a lot .... thats not cool.

Honestly, biggest issue i JUST realize about not going diesel is running a lift/larger tires on the original engine without regearing hurts mileage and seems to be a lot .... thats not cool.

To me, this is a BIG advantage of diesel - you're actually going to WANT bigger tires. So, anyone that's looking to run mid-sized (33"ish), the diesel is great... because there's no easy / cheap way to re-gear a Tracker. Diesel, by way of wanting to run in lower RPM, automagically "fixes" this problem. And, because diesel has so much more torque in low RPM, there's less of a need to re-gear the low range too. Win / Win. The biggest drawbacks to diesel are the difficulty sourcing a low milage / reasonably priced engine. If I were you, I'd jump all over the chance at a low-mile $1000 engine. Will you be wining any drag races? No. But, that's not really the purpose of a kick running a mild lift & tires is it? And, as said, if you want more power later, you can just turn up the boost... or back down if you want more MPG. Pretty sweet.

Take a look at the OME lift. They're available in different stiffnesses from lightweight 2-door to the heavier XL7 4-door, and everything in between - call lowrange offroad for their recommendation. OME springs should be easy to mix & match (e.g. stock rear springs, but heavier XL7 front) the kit. A complete OME lift kit (springs, and matching long travel shocks & struts) is only $700 from lowrange offroad, and is bar-none the best riding bolt-in lift for kicks. If you need to re-level the kit (front or rear), it's only $50 or so for a set of spring spacers. If you need to go on-the-cheap, get the stiffer front springs, a strut mount flip, then use spring spacers & longer shocks in the back (cheaper, but you'll be at stock suspension travel instead of the OME long travel).

^ alright, i'll keep that in mind as far as lift options go.  A Calmini lift should fit fine in the budget, but we'll see, thanks again.

-----update-----
As many understand, or all, life is crazy.  On that... the diesel swap, as i was all ready for, will have to be put on hold.... until who knows when...