Yep from what i understand and read online is that pepper plants can be kept alive for several years if not exposed to cold frosty weather.
I have already potted and pruned down a few of my pepper plants to overwinter on a windowsill in my kitchen. Time will tell if they make it through the winter ;)
There are a few more older threads about overwintering plants on this forum.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pepper/msg090801272024.html?63

I usually over winter some. A few actually produce but most just survive ( some don't). With those that do you have a big head start next year so I think it's worth it if you have the room.

john

here in phoenix they survive indefinatly i have some numex big jim going on 2 years now we get a spring crop and a fall crop

They will likely loose a lot of their existing leaves, but, will start showing new growth within a couple of weeks.

tsheets: so then I can just plant the entire plant with a root ball/dirt x the garden into big pots indoors? I don't need to really prune the plant or the roots much? I have never done this before so was going to try this as an experiment & appreciate your input! I guess some wilt/leaf drop will occur even if I water with transplant sol'n.? at first?

I would recommend replacing the soil so that you don't bring the garden's pests in for the winter.

Josh

As greenman suggests, I bare-root them and trim both the tops and roots to fit them (generally) into a 1 gal (roughly) pot. By bare-rooting you minimize the critters you bring in as well as having a more appropriate medium for a potted plant (lighter, better draining, etc..). I did have to use a larger (maybe 4 gal) pot on a second year fatalii this year.

Done!! The two I potted & brought indoors haven't wilted at all so hope they survive now ... thanks for the suggestions!

Cool! Congrats! Now, just keep an eye out for aphids and such, and be ready for them when/if they show up. :-)

tsheets: maybe we will be lucky ... hope so! Really don't have room for any more indoor houseplants but thought we'd give it a try this Fall for the first time. If they even survive being indoors this winter they would be placed out in the garden again next Spring. The Bhut seedlings x seed are SO slow to germinate & equally as slow to grow & then only do well the end of summer here!