Yep, ignore everything else, that’s exactly what I said. If you need to impress Consumer Reports with your choice of $3000 used car, so be it. I’m done arguing with you.
This has nothing whatsoever to do with starting the engine.
It must have something to do with it. You can’t start an engine without a spark, that has to be produced from somewhere. If the battery is dead, and the alternator has no permanent magnets, there will be nothing to produce a spark from. Some ignition systems transfer current from the battery when starting to initially excite the coils in an alternator to jump start the process of generation. I don’t know if that has anything to do with post I was commenting on though.
98 Honda Civic here. 268,000 miles on the original transmission and clutch and still going strong. 
As others have said there really isn’t any difference in mileage anymore between an automatic or standard shift transmission so reliability and fun to drive factor is really the only considerations.
I had a manual 97 Contour Sport. That was a fun car to toss around.