Thanks for the replies. All I can say is that Church does help me get through these times!
Swapping the entire drivetrain and cluster is okay. It will be a 2000 on the outside and a 2006 under the hood! Nicer transmission, etc.
I'm getting crazy and thinking I should also swap in the 2006's heated seats!
Popping the convertible top from the 2006 to the 2000 is going too far and is out of the question.
One consideration for the 2.5 is that it uses regular gas, not the premium gas that the turbo needs. This car is for my daughter in San Antonio who says premium gas is hard to come by.