Hi brothers of the Mk 4 realm, am I correct in thinking that a Bora 4M or Passat 4m is the poor mans R32?

I can see entry prices on a Bora 4M between $5k and $10k and 1 Passat 4M with a 3.2 at $11k, I have a lot of questions so endulge me please.

From what I have seen the Mk 4 has front strut tower weekness, poor passanger side window electrics and in the Bora cracked leather upholstery is a given. Is the 3.2 or 3.6 just a bolt in for the original 2.8, I have no plans on going the SC or Turbo route so what are the best upgrades, will the 6MT hold up and are there different 6MT boxes, best suspension up grades as I am not interest in looks so no super low.

I plan on doing as much work on the car myself but I don't have any fancy fabrication tools just the standard colection of VW tools, torx, hex, triple square, metric sockets and spanners, body stands and garage jack. I may end up building myself a pit for those pesky exhaust jobs.

Feel free to make as many suggestions as you like, what I am seeking is V6 music and manual stimulation as these are lacking from my Jetta and as we know 2 dubs are better than 1 and 3 is just about heaven