If you're going charcoal, a Weber kettle, without a doubt. They are a tried and true design that has been around for generations. You can absolutely do everything from low & slow smoking (indirect with coals off to one side), to grilling. I've even done my fair share of cold smoking (during cool weather of course) on ours.
They are built to last, and have many, many third-party accessories such as rotisseries, pizza ovens, devices to aid with Low & Slow such as the Slow-N-Sear, etc. You can even get a kit that converts it to a 22" WSM.
The ceramic enamel kettle has a ten-year warranty, and replacement parts are readily available. It's hard to beat for the $$.
If you're looking for an entry level Pellet Grill I'd take a serious look at Rec Tec's new Bullseye (kettle style). It has plenty of room for a typical family, and would get their feet wet in the pellet realm.
The fact that you have to control the temperature manually does not bother me in the least. That's exactly how my Stoven pellet grill attachment (for a Weber Kettle) works. It's a nice mix of the ease of pellets with a little old-school hands-on control.