Can You Use New Technology Instead of Old?

Consider doing something yourself instead of having it out sourced, or consider simply hiring a business to do something for you. Can you combine and re purpose two things? A friend who uses boats bought an extra boat that had better engines on it, took the engines off his boat, put them on the on the new boat, flipped the engines out. And he basically had he did. He didn't quite sell the boat for the total cost, but his cost of the new engines was substantially cheaper than what it would have been otherwise. Could you substitute for something better? Can you take hyou would spend on college tuition and spend it on global travel tuition?