What should I know about choosing a Weber gasser?

I love my kettles and WSM but some times I think a gasser would be a nice addition to my collection. A number of years ago I did purchase a gasser - a Coleman Powerhouse 25. It's a propane grill with an aluminum fire box and side burner with piezo igniters. The burner has separate controls for each side and this is old enough to use ceramic briquettes. I used it a few times and found it too hot for anything except quickly grilling stuff like burgers or steaks and doing vegetables. It was good for roasting corn on the cob in the husk. (Yeah. Powerhouse... It lives up to its name.)

I'm wondering if a better grill find more use in my bag-O-tricks. In particular, I'm thinking about grilling vegetables where the charcoal/smoke flavor matters less and I'd like nice grill marks.

There seem to be a lot of Weber gas grills on craigslist and I wonder what I should be looking for. To be honest, I think a Q would fit my needs as well as any and I think they look dead sexy. But they also seem few and far between. I think a Q-200 wold be a good size and would also offer the advantage of easy portability. I wonder about the other more traditional gassers I see, sometimes at very attractive prices.

A side burner does not seem like a big issue to me, but it would be useful if I could use it to light a charcoal chimney. (I might just scavenge the side burner from my Coleman to make a charcoal starter.)

Are there any problems getting replacement parts for any of them?

I'm pretty sure I'll stick with propane but would like to hear arguments for natural gas if there is a significant benefit. It just seems like Propane is going to be easier.

Are there any models that are real gems? Any turkeys to avoid?

Anything else I should be thinking about?

Thanks,
walt

I've had my Q200 since 2004 and it's a champ. I do most of my grilling on the kettles. I think it's perfect for veggies and small meals.
I do sometimes wish I had the Q220 with the thermometer/bigger lid, but that's not too big a deal.

Edit:
Also, cheaper upkeep, burner tube is pretty easy to clean (though it is easier to clog) replacement parts are cheap too and easy to replace.

If I were you, I would look for:

A Weber - most of the parts are available, even for the OLD ones, and will probably continue to be so. Their flavorizer-bar system works really well to give you decent flavor and controlling flare-ups. My first gasser was a mid-range Sterling (not made anymore). The Weber that I bought used is a MUCH BETTER grill in every way.

3-Burners (Older Spirit-700 / Silver B / Genesis). Provides maximum versatility - Allows you to do some indirect and provide different heat-zones for full-meal cooking.

I would also suggest getting a smoker box for your new/used gasser - it allows you to add some wood-chips/chunks for a bit of smoke flavor for cooks that will take a little time. (Not as good as charcoal, IMHO, but still better than plain gas with vaporized drippings.)

Used - look for one where the housing and cart are in good / decent shape - most of the inner parts are easily replaced.

Don't mean to knock the Q-Series - but you I beleive that you will get more "grilled" flavor from the larger / more traditional Weber gassers. The Q-Series seems to be more like a flat-top griddle with ridges - the flames are not going to lick at much. However, if you want portable, then they are WAY BETTER than any of the cheapo stuff out there.

Portability is a cool trick, but unless you plan to do a lot of traveling with this grill, I would lean heavily towards a used Genesis model. If you're vigilant enough, they can be had for pittance, they clean up well, and parts are readily available and relatively cheap. Lots of good information on restoration on this board and others.

I second that on the Genesis. Very sturdy. Some great used models are the Weber Genesis Gold Series (B=3 burners, C=3 burners + side burner). The Gold Genesis comes with the Stainless Steel grates and Flavorizer Bars. You can usually find the Weber Gold (Circa 2005) on CL for the $150-$300 range. A 5-10 year old Weber Genesis Silver B with the porcelain grates and bars should set you back approx. $75-$200 or so used in pretty decent condition.

Thanks for the tips and suggestions. There are so many more of the traditional grills for sale that opens up the selection process. At the moment there are no Qs but 22 hits for "weber genesis" and 4 for "weber spirit" and there are probably more that are just listed Weber grill.

It seems like there are a lot of them that use natural gas. Is it cost effective to convert to propane? I just googled extending a gas line to a grill and it is neither easy or inexpensive!

In the mean time I've been using my Coleman Powerhouse 25 and am generally pleased with what a gas grill can do for me. I'm also convinced that the Coleman is going to be a stopgap until I can get something better. Heat distribution seems to be centered in the middle of the grill. In fact, the grate I'm using is about 4" short at each end and there is no point in extending it because it is already not as hot at the ends of the grate. Nevertheless, I grilled some awesome spuds today.

best,
walt

This is a freebee on CL that I hope to pick up tomorrow.

No freebee from CL. The listing was taken down before they replied to my email. However I did find what I think is a good deal:


And I've started a thread to ask for more info about this. (Tell me about my CL find)

Thanks all!

walt