I am sorry to hear the P is feeling poorly, but I would call any reports of it's demise premature until I'd thoroughly verified that it wasn't a bad panel throwing out excuses. Also, are you SURE the box is enabled for run without panel?
Like others, I have hardwired bypasses into my whole house system, but now I think maybe a cheap aux inverter might be a good idea. It does sound aggravating powering trickle loads like a TV from a generator.
My P has delievered yeoman service for many years, and a new 2k (NOT 3k) would seem like the drop-in replacement to go for. However, this situation does make for a dandy seque into the 50A Victron, which isn't much more than a P these days. Just sayin!