OK, I brought it home today. Found a nice Weber Q on Craigslist - the original Q model, now sold as the Q200. It had the Weber collapsible/pull-along/roll-around stand, Weber cover, & also a hose connection for regular size(say, 20 lb) propane tanks. The only visible flaws were a couple of paint scuffs, and some paint bubbling on the outside top. There are absolutely no traces of rust on the cast iron grate. It lived in Hawaii for 2 yrs, I wonder if the salt air contributed to the paint bumps on that cast aluminum top! He hooked the adapter hose up to his propane tank for his full-size BBQ & I saw it burn, perfect blue flame all around the burner.
Sellers were a young family- she did 8 yrs Navy, he's still on active duty in the Air Force, with one child ready for Kindergarten & another brand new baby just home from the hospital. At $70 for the whole setup I certainly wasn't going to quibble over price, especially for an active service member with a new baby.
I had to drive about 175 miles total for it- but even with gas I'm still under $100. Bought a 2-pack of 16.x oz propane bottles & one 14 oz skinny propane bottle at WM on the way home. Why the 14 oz? the Q grills originally came with a "bottle bracket" that only fit the 14 oz bottles. I wanted one to use without having to remove/modify/replace the bracket on there.
New prices, btw, run: Q200, $199 ; Cart, $50 ; Cover, $10-$20 depending on where you buy it ; adapter hose, ~$8 up to ridiculous prices.
There's a propane outfit less than 5 miles from home. So tell me- whats the cheapest way to get a 20 lb propane tank?
