Does "can't drive shift" mean "won't?" IMHO it is a good skill to be able to drive both, but it can come down to what you are used to and whether or not you want to try the other. I have always driven manuals, I can drive automatics, but being more used to the manuals prefer them. Depending on the type of driving you usually do, both have their advantages. Currently I am very fortunate having a nice example of each and drive them both. However, what is probably most important is keeping your wife happy about the ultimate car decision that you make, you could hear about it for a long time if you made the wrong one! Sounds like you are pretty flexible about the whole thing, so the situation will probably resolve itself just fine.

two 240 wagons, 80 - manual, 92 - automatic