Thinking of buying a used weber gas grill.


 
Dustin Dorsey

Dustin Dorsey

TVWBB Hall of Fame
I've been thinking about adding a weber gas grill to my arsenal. I don't particularly want to spend that much money, maybe 400 tops. I've always been a charcoal guy. Given time I prefer charcoal, but my wife has gone back to school and I find myself having to cook several nights a week. I've been scouring ebay and facebook marketplace. There's never anything in my are, but occasionally I'll see stuff in Oklahoma City or Dallas, which are both about a 2 hour drive. I see TONS of natural gas, but while I have natural gas in the house, I don't have an external hookup. Seems like it'd be easier to just go propane. Anyone have any thoughts on which models are good, etc? I know there are some strong thoughts on east-west vs north-south burner layout etc. How much better is a genesis vs. spirit, etc? Am I completely selling out by thinking about a gas grill?
 
You're posting in the gas section, so no one will call you a sell out here!

Personally, I have a Genesis 3000 which I converted to natural gas because here at my new house there is a NG line outside specifically for that reason. No more propane tanks!

If you look through the restores, you'll see that with a budget as high as 400, not only can you obtain and refurb a beautiful grill, but also you can do it in a way to make it even better than new. Rcplanebuyer flavorizer bars, your choice of grates, and again with a budget like that you can go very far. Just keep your eyes open for a good buy on Craigslist and you'll do fine.

The east west burner arrangement did take a little getting used to, but in the end it's not that different than north south.

Depending on how many you are cooking for, a spirit may be too small and a genesis may be too large.

Prior to the 3000, I restored a silver b, and was very happy with that grill too, but I was on a roll, saw the 3000 for 25 bucks and just could not resist. Also, I like the look of the wood side table and ended up with the lid from the silver b on the 3000, redoing all the wood, replaced the grates and still I bet I'm way under 400 bucks.

As long as you can dedicate a few weekends to restoring an older one, I'd say that's the way to go.

Slainte!

Tim
 
Dustin, all eight of my grills except my 1999 genesis 1000 which is now on a 3000 frame are used picked up from Craig's list, yard sales, etc.

My main gasser is a 2009 E320 which has the East/West which I prefer especially if you're you want to use a rotisserie.
I got it off of CL in like new condition for $200, I had to drive to Phoenix to get it which is a 200 mile round trip but well worth it.

I really like the gassers for a quick burger or pork chop or anything that takes a short amount of time to cook.
The genesis series or for that mater almost all the gassers you can easily get parts for.

I also have restored about six of the genesis models and they are a well built grill, take your time one will pop up. The 1000 2000 3000 genesis sell usually in good condition for under $100 with the cast aluminum fire box they are pretty tuff units. Another $100-150 depending on what you would need to refurb it and for under $200 or so you will have a like new well built grill that will last many years.
 
Dustin, I have six Weber's, only one is gas. I did a restoration on a Genesis Gold and put a Redhead lid on it. I have about $400 in it but it is better than just about anything out there at that price. My favorite thing is that it's 15 years old and has a bunch of life left in it. Pretty much what Rich said. I am a charcoal guy too, but life gets in the way sometimes.

Here is mine:


Definitely add one to your lineup. Restoring them is very gratifying.
 
"Definitely add one to your lineup. Restoring them is very gratifying."

Well said Pat. And nice grill!

Dustin, Rich hooked me up with some serious NG components for my current 3000. I can testify he's a good guy and knowledgeable about these grills.

You'll love your grill so much more if you have a little elbow grease, a few curses and some effort into it. So much better than paying an extra 500 plus. And really, they're not that complicated a machine. Just take your time and enjoy the process. Kind of like grilling.

Post your progress! You have some serious gas guys watching you, so you're in good hands!
 
Hi Dustin

I'm just getting ready to get started on my Genesis 1200 rehab, and I have been sourcing parts. Your $400 budget is almost dead nuts what I am in it for (less elbow grease), and I'm going top shelf on pretty much everything. 316 SS hardware, super duper 304 SS flavorizers and grates - the only bits I am not having to replace are the burners and regulator, which are in decent shape.

Here is my spreadsheet to date - I didn't include consumables like paint and lube since this may be something you already have on hand.

5GmSYQs.jpg



I can appreciate the idealism of charcoal, but I can tell you after cooking on one of these beasts, they are so well built and hold heat so well - you might just hang up your chimney starter!
 
Dustin, a gasser is a good thing. I bought a brand new Genny almost two years ago and I'm very happy I did. The only thing different I would do (hindsight) would to have bought a used one. I see many a fine gasser for $400 and less all the time
 
I have a 2002 Genesis Silver C. There seems to be a lot of this vintage out there on craigslist. $400? You'll be able to get one and restore it like a classic car. I like the east/west setup of mine. They last forever if you take care of them.
 
Last edited:
I'll chime in too. Only way you get my E/W burner old Genesis III I bought way back in 1992 is to pry it from my cold dead fingers. They are the best and most versatile Genesis you will ever find bar none (no pun intended). The deeper fire box is very desirable as you have less flare up (don't believe anyone who tells you none) but less is good. They are FAR more versatile for rotisserie cooking. Once you try it on an old E/W Genesis you'll chain that thing to your deck and protect it with a gun. The newer designed units with n/s burners are pretty useless for rotisserie. They cook fine otherwise but IMO nothing spectacular compared to the older style.
Watch Craigslist every day. Search on "gas grill" lots of other crap will come up but Weber treasures will pop up often. People get taken in by the flash and shiny new crop of stainless Chinese stuff out there. So they dump their trusty old Weber
 
I guess I should have read a few threads in this forum before I posted here so I'd have known what I was getting into! ;) I like the idea of getting an older one. For instance, I purposely bought an old whirlpool washer and dryer because they are infinitely repairable and parts are plentiful. I work on copiers and figuring out things come apart and go back together is a huge part of that.

I'm still trying to piece together which models are what. It looks like most of them are of a similar style until 2005 or so? I've gleaned a lot of information just going through the pages of this forum and googling stuff.
 
Dustin Dorsey said:
Thanks for the info! So I gather these are cooler ones? I'm probably way more likely to find the later ones obviously.
Click to expand...

The older 13 bar ones were made until about 1999 and are still plentiful, the 5 bar ones are very good also. Both will do what you want, I have had both and there isn't much differences between them except for the fire box.
Weber sold a gazillion of them so there is still a lot out there.
An E300 or 320 would be a good choice also as they are the next generation of genesis. I have an E320 and really like it it's a little taller than the older models and still has the aluminum firebox and mine is 2009 and still has the E/W burners which I like.
Here's a picture of the two the E320 is the brown one
DSCN4208_zpsvxwdr6ad.jpg
 
Last edited:
Here's another dumb question. Part of my problem is I no longer have my truck. How far would one of these break down to put in a smaller vehicle?
 
*lying on its back, not side. Like if you were grilling and you shoved it over.

I have a 2005 Honda Pilot and had no issue fitting on its side with the lid off (remove the two cotter pins and hinge pins).
 
Last edited:
Worst case separate the grill head from the cart. Only difficult part there is the single bolt holding it to the frame may break. A pain but not that big of a deal. I would also remove the 2 hinge pins and remove the lid and all the internal parts (flavor bars, grates) and the grease tray. Make sure you have protection inside the vehicle because things will be very greasy and dirty and lots of grunge will be deposited inside the vehicle.
 
In my opinion you just can't go wrong with restoring an older Weber. $400 is a good budget and you can restore one to as new condition and never have to replace it. That's about what I spent on my genesis 1000. I also restored a genesis A. I like them both. Best grills I've owned by a landslide.

The 1000 has the 13 flavorizer bars and the A just has 5. Both work very well. I wouldn't be afraid of restoring any of the genesis line. I think the spirit line is ok too but at least slightly inferior to the genesis in build quality.

Whatever you buy look at the firebox and fame carefully. The weber cast iron firebox is almost indestructible but there are a few cases of them warping or burning through if there has been a past grease fire. With the frame some surface rust is ok and can be sanded and repainted. But if it's rusted through that's one you probably don't want. Outside of the firebox and the frame all the other parts are readily available.
 
I have a Toyota 4runner and I can get a Genesis 3000 into it by taking the lid off without putting the back seat down. But like LMichaels said put down some protection that you don't ever want to use again because it will be a greasy mess. I keep a couple of blue tarps you can buy really cheap at Harbor Freight in the car just incase I come across one at a yard sale I'm prepared to load and go.
When I get home I unload the grill and carefully fold up the tarp with all the grease and chunks of burnt stuff and into the trash it goes.
 
We've got a Nissan Rogue. I found one in Dallas about 2 hours away and I missed out on it already. It looks like a redhead genesis 3000 (or so) in excellent shape. It had the bigger cart and a side burner so it may have been pushing my luck. I saw another one that looks like a 1000 that seems to have a ding in the lid as far as I can tell from the picture. The first one is supposed to message me back in case the deal somehow doesn't go through. I rarely see anything in my area which has about 100000 people.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top