Well charcoal ain't bad either, then there's propane and it goes all the way down to the George Forman grill lol. I'm fortunate that I live in the burbs so I don't have to deal with rush hour traffic. If I had to do a 2hr each way stop and go commute, I'd go automatic. Your SO can also learn as it's not that difficult. I taught 4 of my female friends and one male buddy to drive stick without any difficulties even though he was the king of car accidents.