Red, if it were me, the 996XT with a GPS would be the way to go. That way you could program the areas that both your wife and you drive, and once it's set up, you wouldn't have to fiddle with anything to change systems as you go. I'm not sure that this kind of functionality could be duplicated with the RS/GRE models (to be honest, I'm not as familiar with them).
Regardless, either way you go, there is a certain learning curve to using these new scanners. There are lots of folks around that can help, however, so don't let that dissuade you. Both the Uniden and Ohio forums are quite active so that shouldn't be an issue
73 Mike