[Vwdiesel] Reman or new head?

[Craig O.]

The head gasket on my 81 is leaking badly after a thermostat failure / 
overheating incident.  I also have a lot of oil in my coolant.  I 
haven't started the engine since this happened.   I haven't disassembled 
it yet, but I am assuming that the head is probably warped.
In the PartsPlace catalog, they go into detail about how most machine 
shops do not have the expertise to recondition a VW diesel head as there 
is not much tolerance for shaving metal from the head.  They state that 
in order to properly recondition a VW head it has to be heated and 
pressed.  Is this just a ploy to get me to purchase a head from them?
If I was to purchase a head from them,
I can get a re-manufactured head from PartsPlaceInc for mid $450 or a 
new head from them for $600.  My question is this -- If I do decide to 
acquire a replacement head, is there an advantage to spending the extra 
money to put on a new head?
Also, they mention in their catalog that  they recommend using a gasket 
sealant called Hylomar but I see that VW does not recommend a sealer.

Craig