Hi there, it's funny reading this thread.
I was born in Wythensawe, brought up in Sale, went to school in Altrincham and Knutsford and now reside in Urmston but work in Sale. So I know the area quite well.
If you have any specific questions feel free to ask on here or via personal message.
Out of everywhere you've mentioned Sale would be my choice. It has 3 tram stops, it's a nice neighbourhood, good bus routes, canal path straight to town, brilliant schools etc. The downside is how expensive it is. I live in a big 3 bed semi detached house in Urmston, with a nice garden, driveway, 2 living rooms, conservatory etc which is valued at £250k. £250k would probably get you a small 3 bed terraced in Sale. To ge a similar house to mine you'd be looking at £350k+ in Sale.
Urmston has been a brilliant second choice for us though. It's right near to the trafford center, we have the soccerdome, ski slope, sky diving center all within a 20 minute walk or 5 minute drive. They're building the tram network to the TC which should boost house prices near by and might reduce traffic. The rail network is alright, direct lines to the city center and Liverpool/Warrington. There's supposedly going to be 3,000 new homes built in Carrington (which splits Sale and Urmston) which could influence house prices nearby. It's a 15 minute comute to the industrial park which is one of the biggest in Europe. Manchester seems to be BOOMING at the minute. There are new sky scrapers going up left right and center. New businesses coming here. Investment on public transport. I honestly think it's the most exciting place in the UK right now. You get all the entertainment a big city can offer (football, concerts, parades, nightlife) and then you have the lake district, yorkshire dales, north wales, penines/peak district as well as cheshire all within a couple of hours drive.