I learned on an auto. I think it's better to learn on auto since IT IS just one less thing to think about when you're learning to drive. Knowing how to drive a stick around the church parking lot and knowing how to drive it on the road are two COMPLETELY different things. I'm pretty sure one of my wrecks could've been avoided if I had been driving an automatic (yeah...first car...hadn't been driving stick THAT long...you know how it goes).

And on the coupe thing, all I've owned is coupes/hatchbacks and my insurance has never been horrible. If you get any kind of discount for your parent's good driving or good grades or anything, you should be fine.