TB replacement cost?

I love the beetle and really would like a diesel,I think. Here is my situation. I drive 20 miles to work, 1/2 hour. I live in northern michigan, not to much below 0 deg f. It would be garaged at night but sit in the cold 10-12 hours each day. My brother owned a gm diesel, and only had the fuel gel once at about 30 below.
I heard that the TDI's are a high maintenence engine,i.e. the timing belt replacement,and tech's that can do the job right. I have read a little about this here. How much does this typically cost? I am sure there are some other issues that I should know about but I'll leave that to you.
I'm looking for a used 98 or newer bug. Should I go gas or diesel?
Thanks Daryl

The cost: for me, the price of the parts and a few hours. I like to wrench, and am also glad I don't have to make a living at it since I'm really good, but kinda slow.

OTOH, the cost in time isn't a lot different than the time it takes to make an "appointment" (do they really honor these as they should?), coerce someone else into ferrying me back and forth after taking my car in, overcoming the headache when they're late getting finished with it, careful querying if the job was done correctly, and other related time wasting issues. It is just easier on my psyche to do it right myself.

Should you get a diesel or gasser? Well, how long will you keep the car? If it is 100k miles or more, I'd say the diesel. If you just want to use it for 50-60k miles then trade it, buy a gasser.

I will drive mine until the wheels almost fall off, then repair the bearings and keep going. I bought a diesel for the economy, and because it will last a long, long time if I maintain it correctly. It is definitely not worth the extra cost and trouble if you are going to trade it in in just a couple of years.

Just my opinion, yours too will vary.

Living in northern MI, your potential cost of ownership has decreased significantly. Lrpavlo and Mark of Diesel are a little west of Saginaw, and The Ripster is in the UP. They could help out maintaining a TDI NB for far less than you'd expect at a dealership. Lrpavlo and Mark of Diesel each own such vehicles. Contact them with private messages and they'll fill you in.

I just drove from Duluth through Ironwood and down to Saginaw yesterday...colors were fantastic and I'm liking my Beetle a lot....though I'd strongly recommend a lift kit and a set of Green Diamonds or some type of snows on set of different wheels. A 20 mile communte is perfect for this car get your fuel at a well used station and put some good additive in there and you'll have no winter problems....I'd strongly encourage the heated seats option and a RedGolf TDI heater too!

Thanks for the plug Glen. High praise indeed coming from a Guru! I have never regretted buying either the '98 TDI Beetle or the '96 TDI Passat I now own. That's not to say you can't go wrong with one. As with any other mass produced item, clunkers get into the mix from time to time. Careful evaluation of any used car is vital but on the whole, I'd still get a TDI over a gasser in a heartbeat. The cold, while stil a consideration, isn't that big a deal with proper preparation. The "extra maintenance" is something I think you'll find in any modern vehicle, it's just that in the TDIs it comes in a bunch as in the TB change. Through these forums you can really keep the costs down to a managable level. In short, get the diesel Beetle. You'll never trade torque for H.P. again.