I think many here would tout the classic E-W burner configuration as being better. Certainly more coverage with three long burners vs. 3 short ones. Some do feel that it is easier to do indirect with N/S, but on the other hand, for something long like ribs I think having the front burner on and the other two off works really well.
If you have any thoughts about rotisserie cooking, then hands down, the old E/W is clearly the way to go. For that reason the old Genesis (and your first generation 300) grills are favorites of those who like to spin their meat.
Jeff:
I echo Jon on your grill. Also, every grill has warmer and cooler spots. If the cabinet is sound, then you are better off with your 2009. You can always replace burners, grates, clean & lube the valves (great video on this site for that), etc. Your sidewinder is definitely a keeper. Just watch for rust around the bottom panel and where the casters go into the left and right frames. Very easy to deal with in early stages.
Jeff, I would clean up the 2009. Make sure the flavorizer bars, and cook box are cleaned out well and then especially the burner tubes. Others are correct that you are always going to have some cold and hot spots in a grill and just using your grill and learning where they are will allow you to compensate. If the discrepancies are significant, then there is probably something out of whack than can be fixed. But, a good clean grill will go a long ways to making your grill perform better.
I've had both E/W and N/S and I now have four E/W gassers and no N/S. Our Summer outside oven is our 2007 NG E320 I know that E/W vs. N/S is a personal preference but as stated above I much prefer the E/W. I can do 90% of anything I can do on the E320 that I can do with our inside oven and also not heat up the house.
As far as the cold spots I would guess that there is something amiss with the grill as mine is very uniform in it's heat distribution as verified by sacrificing a loaf of cheap white bread doing a toast test.
I totally agree with Rich too. Mine runs a little hotter on the right side but that may well be dependent on the prevailing breeze. Thanks to my last pickup, I now have parts for a complete grill in reserve. Trying the Weber stainless grates than came with the last one vs. the old cast iron. Still have a full set of Grillgrates new in the box.
Our Summer outside oven is our 2007 NG E320 I know that E/W vs. N/S is a personal preference but as stated above I much prefer the E/W. I can do 90% of anything I can do on the E320 that I can do with our inside oven and also not heat up the house.
Yeah, I love using the grill as an outside oven. Even though we have central A/C, I try to avoid heating up the kitchen. We also have the challenge of not having a range hood that takes care of the cooking smells.
For me, I use my Genesis 1xxx as the outdoor oven. There's also a S320 that is the grill. Sometimes I can use the older genesis for both by roasting the veggies first and then sliding it to the left and use 1/4 of the grill as the grilling surface.
Jeff:
If the rust is confined to the bottom pan and not the legs where the casters are, then it is a fairly easy replacement. Several site including Weber have had that part available. A lot cheaper than a new grill. Even if your drip pan holder has corroded thru, that is only about a $15 part.