Ok so here goes nothing.
I'm Male, 25yo, 6'2", ~200lbs.
Been riding bikes forever it seems, but never Really Rode bikes, yknow? Nothing more than a walmart mountain bike or friends beach cruiser. Never really understood how to Work on them or Maintain them..
Now I find myself needing a bike to Commute to Work and Back.
I'm very low on Funds and Knowledge, but I do have 2 Bikes in my Yard. I have a
Size 16 Womens' Raleigh Venture 3.0, 26" Tires
and
Unknown Frame Size Stowabike MTB, 26" Tires.

Neither are road capable at this time. And I'm torn at which if either I should try to fix up(remember, I'm basically Broke)
The Raleigh got looted at SDSU, And is now missing it's Back Tire, Gears, Chain, And Front Tire Bar that you tighten to the frame, and Seat. Rest looks relatively Ok?
the Stowabike is Heavily Rusted on the Back tire Gears and the Chain, and fairly certain will need new Tubes and outer Rubber tire as well..

Are either of these even worth the time and money to fix? Or should I attempt to sell em and buy an entirely different bike altogether? If so, what should I look into getting?

Thank you all who take the time to read this and Thanks for any help or info given. I truly appreciate any and all assistance. Hope you have a wonderful and safe day!!

How far is your commute to work? You said - Never really understood how to Work on them or Maintain them, if that is the case are you ready to dive into a rebuild? Have you tried to watch FB Marketplace or Craigs List for a good used bike that you might be able to afford?

Its roughly 4 miles each way. To get there is 90% downhill, and a drop of about 500ft. Uphill I dont even like thinking about 😅..
And I know I said I'd never really worked on em, but I'm definitely a hands on kinda person, and YouTube videos are never Quite what I'm looking for. I can never find the Exact part or method I search for some reason. And I've watched Offerup and similar places for cheap Bikes, but I'm unsure what would be a good Choice/Size for my build. To
be the most Efficient and least amount of strain on me(I have bad knees and I smoke, so terrible Cardio)
When I last looked into a bike, it was basically a choice between "Mountain", or "Road". And now it seems like there's Dozens of different kinds.

To me it sounds like the Stowbike is the best place to start since it has all its parts. The rust on the rear gears can be cleaned up and the chain replaced if needed. If you have to get new tires, get the smoothest tread that you can find to reduce rolling resistance. The ride to work will be no problem at all but the uphill ride home will be harder so the proper gearing will be important and I am not sure what gears your Stowbike has but a MTB should have decent gearing. Let’s face it, the look of the bike is not as important as the function of the bike because the important part is getting to work. So jump into a rebuild and try to determine the functionality of the bike before you start replacing parts. In other words, does it shift through the the gears up and down, do the brakes work, as you turn things do the existing bearings seem fairly smooth, it so, then you can start replacing needed parts.

A cheap hybrid off Craigslist is probably a better deal.

San Diego CL doesn't have much to offer at first glance. Something like this, but with a a wider range of gears.
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/...129165818.html

Look for a bike co-op near you. I hear they often have used parts for cheap, and people to help. (Rumor, since I have never been to one)
And call local shops, see if they have any used hybrids.