Auto to manual swap is pretty cheap and easy. Parts are almost everywhere with only having to source a pedal assembly being the hard part. If you're worried about body work, distance, and price... I wouldn't throw out an auto. If the auto is most of what you want then I would snap it up in a heartbeat. Rock the auto for awhile, learn how to work on them, get used to it, then get into the 4spd/5spd swap.
You're severely limiting yourself by saying close to home, no rust, running, no issues, no auto, not expensive. For as easy of a job a manual swap is I would just get an auto. And for the record, I have an auto and rock it everyday with no issue.