Thanks for all the replies, advice, and suggestions, everyone. All are being taken into consideration. As I was stating before, my only reason for replacing the top would be to have a glass window, which for me is just preferable overall, thought it will come at a higher cost. But that is more in the "want" sector.
As for "need", that would be to have a car with a top that hasn't been compromised. For this to happen sooner than later and cheaper, this would lead me to the cheaper solution of simply having a shop stitch in a new window and keep right on rolling. A buddy of mine in my car club has referred me to a local automotive upholstery shop that he and his roommate feel do a very good job for the cost. They're literally 5 minutes from my home, so I'll be stopping by to see them and get a quote soon. I figure if they do things like top replacements for classic Corvettes and can completely redo a 15+ year old motorcycle seat like new, they know what they're doing and should be able to help me in my situation. We'll see where that takes me.
Tuanle, you've brought up another interesting point, though, and I will also have to look into seeing if it's something that can be covered by the insurance. Thank you for that, it wasn't even on my mind before.
A top with glass is still something I'd like to have on this car some day, for peace of mind and the ease of clearly seeing what the heck is in my rear view mirror
. If the right OEM late 986 top happens to come by me at the right time, then I'll go there with it. It's good to know that it'll just bolt right into the car, I just need to look more into what changes to any motors/cables/switches, if any, would need to be made to ensure that it operates properly. I'm also still going to be seeking out a hardtop for the car, yet another item I've been trying to track down.
As I've also said before, the only concern I really would still have with a plastic window is that this, whether it's a stress tear or a cut by some lowlife, could happen again, hopefully not until I can make the changes I'm looking to do.