only on days when i have nothing else to do and think about when I might have $9k to waste - when the math is done and it is one of 2 scenarios - wither my powertrain is done and needs overhaul or I just want to blow some she money - - so if my engine is done for and I need newer - the cost diff between repairs, new gas vs new diesel (2.8) labor and xtra parts being equal - the mpg savings is about 5-8 per gallon - so when looking at diesels - that means I would have to drive 62K miles to break even - and 3 yrs if my daily driver - maybe I say yes - if not a daily driver and just weekends - that break even goes to 8-10 yrs -
but this is just me - spreadsheet says no - but that really isn't why i have a jeep is it - living true to "Just Empty Every Pocket".....I started my 2.8 acct 1 yr ago and am 1K deep - so 7k more then my baby will get a Diesel - just bc I have the money to burn and the long 2 weekends to pull and stab - and my 6 is still humming so I will do it just bc I want to - maybe - I am on the fence ........don't need it but maybe just maybe they will go on sale
I like my 2.8, but imo the spreadsheet only works if you compare it to a new vehicle and you don't plan to sell either. Also you have to really like what you've currently got. I'm getting double what my 4.0 was getting MPG wise, but gas is so cheap. Torque is night and day though. I find myself towing a lot more in my TJ, though that may be a bad thing as my rear end just sprung a leak right after towing more than the Jeep is rated for.
Don't forget, even if you fabricate everything from free material, you'll run into stuff that you'll need to fix. Just make sure your budget is ready once you have the motor and you're starting to install it. Jeeps are expensive, continuous projects. For me there's just nothing much I want that's new/used within my budget that doesn't need work to fit my needs/wants, so I build from something that's used that's closer to my budget. I screw up constantly and hopefully I'll eventually learn, which is much of the fun/heartache.
The swap I did wasn't extremely difficult, but to get it done in a timely manner I had to be very focused on the project and worked long hours and even when I was away, I was working on it in my head. That's the other aspect if you plan to do it yourself and depending on your skill level, it may be much easier or harder so you'll have to make up for it in some other way. I had to overcome my shortcomings, by buying a kit and spending long hours learning and working. I love the end product, but to each his own. If I have a problem I can't just go yell at anyone but myself, there's something scary and rewarding about that.