Should I buy a $1000 BBQ Grill?

[bonesmtb2]

Definitely buy used.  New grills are such a rip off, for what they really are if you look at how they are built.  You could always buy a nice thermometer or something to accompany it.
I have replaced the burners in mine twice, which was a hand me down from my parents.

[Dicey]

Ah, statistics! Expanding on the numbers and charts @JLee provided yields the following:

[Damnit -why is inserting a snippet from excel such a pain in the ass? Since I can't figure it out, I'm just posting the totals.]


Home Depot: 143,545 Americans/Location      206,044 Canadians/Location
Costco:          604,052 Americans/Location     375,000 Canadians/Location
Lowe's:          165,908 Americans/Location       79,787 Canadians/Location

Conclusion: Lowe's and Costco are the places to shop in Canada. Looks like parking at Lowe's should be a breeze.

[ReadySetMillionaire]

I'm not going to wade into this raging debate, but I will try to answer OP's question.

To me, the whole point of this financial philosophy is to mercilessly question every single expense. Cut things that don't matter to you. But spend on things that do -- but try to do them cheaply if you can.

I spend at least $1,000 and probably more per year going to Ohio State college football games. I really don't care what anybody on here thinks, because it's a family thing, and it's a huge passion of mine, and I love it. But, I do not have cable eight months of the year, I drive a used Honda (don't care about cars), always find myself trying to get deals on insurance, etc.

Point being -- if you are otherwise financially stable, and grilling is a huge hobby of yours, go for it and don't look back.

[FINate]

I spend at least $1,000 and probably more per year going to Ohio State college football games. I really don't care what anybody on here thinks, because it's a family thing, and it's a huge passion of mine, and I love it. But, I do not have cable eight months of the year, I drive a used Honda (don't care about cars), always find myself trying to get deals on insurance, etc.

I seriously don't understand what OP expected. "Should I buy a $1000 BBQ Grill?" Should you?! This is MMM, of course not!

@bonesmtb2 if you want to spend $1000 to occasionally grill hamburgers and hotdogs, well, it's your money. Don't expect many here to think it's a good idea. You got answers to your question, perhaps not what you wanted to hear, but you don't need our permission.

[Laura33]

I spend at least $1,000 and probably more per year going to Ohio State college football games. I really don't care what anybody on here thinks, because it's a family thing, and it's a huge passion of mine, and I love it. But, I do not have cable eight months of the year, I drive a used Honda (don't care about cars), always find myself trying to get deals on insurance, etc.

I seriously don't understand what OP expected. "Should I buy a $1000 BBQ Grill?" Should you?! This is MMM, of course not!

@bonesmtb2 if you want to spend $1000 to occasionally grill hamburgers and hotdogs, well, it's your money. Don't expect many here to think it's a good idea. You got answers to your question, perhaps not what you wanted to hear, but you don't need our permission.

+1.

Look, I get it.  I've posted many times here about my StupidCar.  And I love it and never intend to sell it and don't really give a shit what anyone else thinks.  But, see, the thing is, I would never come on here and ask anyone if I should buy it.  Because it's a StupidCar!  And, I mean, it's a ReallyFuckingStupidCar!  I freely admit that it is a horrible financial decision that no rational person should actually make!  Luckily, I am FI and still working and have put myself in a position where I can spew dollar bills out the tailpipe if I want to, so I don't have to ask anyone's permission here (and you'll note that I didn't).

But if I had asked, I would 100% fully expect everyone here to tell me that it's the stupidest idea I've ever had and what the hell was I thinking?  That's why I come here.  I have an entire world that tells me that I neeeeeeed a new ShinyPretty, that I deseeeeeerve to treat myself because I work sooooooo hard.  This place is the only place I know that reliably calls bullshit on that sort of, well, bullshit. 

So, OP:  No.  You should not buy a $1000 BBQ grill to throw some burgers and dogs on.  That is a really stupid use of money.  Now, if you have extra money floating around that you feel like seasoning your burgers with, that's your prerogative.  But don't expect most folks here to help you rationalize blowing money that you don't need to when many cheaper options will serve the same purpose just as well.

[ReadySetMillionaire]

I spend at least $1,000 and probably more per year going to Ohio State college football games. I really don't care what anybody on here thinks, because it's a family thing, and it's a huge passion of mine, and I love it. But, I do not have cable eight months of the year, I drive a used Honda (don't care about cars), always find myself trying to get deals on insurance, etc.

I seriously don't understand what OP expected. "Should I buy a $1000 BBQ Grill?" Should you?! This is MMM, of course not!

@bonesmtb2 if you want to spend $1000 to occasionally grill hamburgers and hotdogs, well, it's your money. Don't expect many here to think it's a good idea. You got answers to your question, perhaps not what you wanted to hear, but you don't need our permission.

+1.

Look, I get it.  I've posted many times here about my StupidCar.  And I love it and never intend to sell it and don't really give a shit what anyone else thinks.  But, see, the thing is, I would never come on here and ask anyone if I should buy it.  Because it's a StupidCar!  And, I mean, it's a ReallyFuckingStupidCar!  I freely admit that it is a horrible financial decision that no rational person should actually make!  Luckily, I am FI and still working and have put myself in a position where I can spew dollar bills out the tailpipe if I want to, so I don't have to ask anyone's permission here (and you'll note that I didn't).

But if I had asked, I would 100% fully expect everyone here to tell me that it's the stupidest idea I've ever had and what the hell was I thinking?  That's why I come here.  I have an entire world that tells me that I neeeeeeed a new ShinyPretty, that I deseeeeeerve to treat myself because I work sooooooo hard.  This place is the only place I know that reliably calls bullshit on that sort of, well, bullshit. 

So, OP:  No.  You should not buy a $1000 BBQ grill to throw some burgers and dogs on.  That is a really stupid use of money.  Now, if you have extra money floating around that you feel like seasoning your burgers with, that's your prerogative.  But don't expect most folks here to help you rationalize blowing money that you don't need to when many cheaper options will serve the same purpose just as well.

Right. I do not come on here and post, "Should my mom and I spend $800 on tickets to go to the Ohio State vs. Michigan game this year?"

We have spent around this every year since 2002. It's our thing. We go every year, like a pilgrimage. The cost is irrelevant to us.

But you'll be damned if you find me on here asking for the forum's permission to spend that money on football tickets.

[nereo]

I spend at least $1,000 and probably more per year going to Ohio State college football games. I really don't care what anybody on here thinks, because it's a family thing, and it's a huge passion of mine, and I love it. But, I do not have cable eight months of the year, I drive a used Honda (don't care about cars), always find myself trying to get deals on insurance, etc.

I seriously don't understand what OP expected. "Should I buy a $1000 BBQ Grill?" Should you?! This is MMM, of course not!

@bonesmtb2 if you want to spend $1000 to occasionally grill hamburgers and hotdogs, well, it's your money. Don't expect many here to think it's a good idea. You got answers to your question, perhaps not what you wanted to hear, but you don't need our permission.

+1.

Look, I get it.  I've posted many times here about my StupidCar.  And I love it and never intend to sell it and don't really give a shit what anyone else thinks.  But, see, the thing is, I would never come on here and ask anyone if I should buy it.  Because it's a StupidCar!  And, I mean, it's a ReallyFuckingStupidCar!  I freely admit that it is a horrible financial decision that no rational person should actually make!  Luckily, I am FI and still working and have put myself in a position where I can spew dollar bills out the tailpipe if I want to, so I don't have to ask anyone's permission here (and you'll note that I didn't).

But if I had asked, I would 100% fully expect everyone here to tell me that it's the stupidest idea I've ever had and what the hell was I thinking?  That's why I come here.  I have an entire world that tells me that I neeeeeeed a new ShinyPretty, that I deseeeeeerve to treat myself because I work sooooooo hard.  This place is the only place I know that reliably calls bullshit on that sort of, well, bullshit. 

So, OP:  No.  You should not buy a $1000 BBQ grill to throw some burgers and dogs on.  That is a really stupid use of money.  Now, if you have extra money floating around that you feel like seasoning your burgers with, that's your prerogative.  But don't expect most folks here to help you rationalize blowing money that you don't need to when many cheaper options will serve the same purpose just as well.

Right. I do not come on here and post, "Should my mom and I spend $800 on tickets to go to the Ohio State vs. Michigan game this year?"

We have spent around this every year since 2002. It's our thing. We go every year, like a pilgrimage. The cost is irrelevant to us.

But you'll be damned if you find me on here asking for the forum's permission to spend that money on football tickets.

I mean, assuming there is a football season, why do you want to spend $800 just to feel depressed when Michigan wins?
:-P

[Duke03]

I'm late to the party, but BUY THE BBQ PIT!!!!


I'm not sure if you are in Texas or not, but I'd really look into a Lyfe Tyme pit if I was you.  I bought one about 10 years ago and absolutely love it to death.  Here is the Kicker.... 10 years ago I paid $800 for my pit.  Today the same pit sells for $1800.  I could sell mine used for $1000 all day long.... If you buy a quality product and take care of it.  It will last and probably hold most of it's value.  Anything BBQ is very popular right now so that's why you see a lot of prices going way high.


I love bbq like no other and love cooking and having parties and my Lyfe Tyme pit makes me out to be a much better cook than what I actually am.

[englishteacheralex]

Hmm. I mean, definitely not is the answer to this question, although as many others have pointed out, it really depends on your financial picture.

Whenever I want something specific and cool, one neat strategy is to put a Craigslist search on it so I get emailed whenever the specific gadget comes up. This is how I scored a Barratza Encore burr coffee grinder for $70. I had to wait 1.5 years for that, though. And I still thought it was kind of a dumb thing to buy, even though for that price it was more than half off retail and it was brand new in the box. I did the same thing with a KitchenAid stand mixer--craigslist searched, waited a long time (over two years) and finally snagged a brand new one for $125.

Come to think of it...I actually bought our Ninja blender that way for $30 (the Vitamixes are still too expensive for me even when they're used; I read too many posts by SOL I guess), and our bread machine for $30. My husband got our 8 quart instant pot off his secretary, who was selling hers because she melted a bit of it on her stove but it still works great. My husband paid her $80, which isn't that awesome of a bargain but she's his secretary so he didn't want to cheap out, which I thought was the right move.

When I don't have time to score a deal on a used or refurbished Neat Gadget, I typically will just buy the "Good Buy" substitute that either WireCutter or America's Test Kitchen recommends.

$1000 for a gas grill would probably not be something we'd do...but the decision (like most financial decisions) needs more context such as what your houses is like and what your total financial picture is and all that good stuff.

[norajean]

If you have the money and like to grill, I say go for it. No point in cheating out.

[Dicey]

No point in cheating out.

I don't know this expression. Will somebody please translate for me?

[simonsez]

No point in cheating out.

I don't know this expression. Will somebody please translate for me?

Maybe it was 'cheaping' out?  The p is not close to the t on a QWERTY though.  I suppose it could be an eggcorn.

I'm surprised at the proportion saying yes to the OP.  Is a facepunch no longer a thing?  I buy excessive things all the time but I'm certainly not going to ask a group of frugal people if I should do so, I already know their answer (or thought I did/would).  Idk, maybe I'm missing something in the grilling world but my grilled food seems tasty enough, mostly ignorance is mostly bliss?  My cousin has me over a few times a year and makes something awesome on his fancy Traeger pellet grill and that's great - but I grill way too frequently for me to mess with it to that level on a regular basis.  I want something I can reliably turn on for multiple times a week usage, has even heating across the burners, enough space to cook for 15 or so (even though that's far from the norm), gets plenty hot, and will last for many years (with the help of a cover) and I feel that can be done for a lot less than $1000.

[nereo]

I'm surprised at the proportion saying yes to the OP.  Is a facepunch no longer a thing?  I buy excessive things all the time but I'm certainly not going to ask a group of frugal people if I should do so, I already know their answer (or thought I did/would).  Idk, maybe I'm missing something in the grilling world but my grilled food seems tasty enough, mostly ignorance is mostly bliss?  My cousin has me over a few times a year and makes something awesome on his fancy Traeger pellet grill and that's great - but I grill way too frequently for me to mess with it to that level on a regular basis.  I want something I can reliably turn on for multiple times a week usage, has even heating across the burners, enough space to cook for 15 or so (even though that's far from the norm), gets plenty hot, and will last for many years (with the help of a cover) and I feel that can be done for a lot less than $1000.

There are cheaper grills which score higher on performance, including another similar model by the same company.
How is the question not answered right there?  Who wants to pay more for something that isn't as good on this forum?

OP seems to have taken his ball and gone home, so I'm not sure we're getting any more input on his thought process or ultimate decision.

[Dicey]

To add to that, I don't care what the OP does with his money, unless he asks for opinions on what's basically a frugality forum. In fact, the whole thread smells troll-ish. Make a decision and own it.

[WSUCoug1994]

I have the Weber Spirit - bought in 2013 - and I love it.  High quality, even heat and overall a very impressive product.  It was not a lot of fun to put together.  I also bought the automatic LED light that mounts on the handle which gets a lot of use.  Although it is a simple feature - the propane tank is suspended and attached to a fuel gauge which helps (but doesn't totally eliminate lol) running out of propane.  Ours also spends its life outside under a weber cover and it has impressed me with how good it still looks.  Only issue I have had is the ignitor button/battery system - I am on my third one and I don't know why they keep going bad.

Not to hijack OP, but I just had the ignitor button stop working. How did you fix it?

To OP, from what I have read and talking with friends, side burners rarely get used. Have yet to meet anyone that regretted buying a Weber.

I ordered a new one from Amazon for like $20

[G-String]

I've asked Dicey how to lock threads, since he said you can lock your own posts, but before I do, I thought I would provide an update to most of you who provided very useful input, which I really appreciate!  A couple points to address comments made here:

First, I initially came here to get you guys to talk me out of spending $1000 on a BBQ!  I came here for a balanced perspective, which I have received thanks to many of your comments. 

My financial situation is very, very good, but I am still a frugal person.  I coud easily drive around a brand new Porsche but I choose to drive my 2005 Corolla. 

I looked on Kijiji (our version of Craigslist) and most used Weber's sell for around $300-400.  Plus I'd need to add some money fixing them up, so let's say $400-500. 

What I am leaning towards is I found a great deal on a new Weber BBQ. It is the exact same BBQ as the $1000 I was initially looking at, except it does not have: 1) a side burner, 2) a searing station or 3) stainless steel grates (it has cast iron grates instead).  To me this is better value and a compromise I am more comfortable with.  I doubt I will ever use the side burner or searing station.  But I did like the stainless steel grates, but that is not essential, and I can buy them in a few years when the cast iron ones get rusted up. 

[nereo]

FWIW, I prefer cast-iron grates over SS.  The SS will look nicer at first and be non-stick right away, but cast-iron lasts longer, deals with very high heat much better (particularly useful when you set all the burners to maximum to get a good char) and - done correctly - when seasoned will provide a very good non-stick coating and protection from rust.

As for the side burner - as I mentioned before people who are really into outdoor grilling often opt for an aftermarket burner.  Turkey fryer burners are very popular because they have a much bigger burner, are really robust and can handle a 12" skillet, whereas those small 6" burners they put into grills cannot.  You can get one new for under $70USD, or you can wait until the fall when they show up on Kijiji for half that from people who used in 1-2x to fry a turkey and decided not to ever do it again.

AS someone else mentioned - buy a decent cover.  That will help the longevity of your grill more than anything else.  It's $20-30 well spent.

g'luck

[G-String]

FWIW, I prefer cast-iron grates over SS.  The SS will look nicer at first and be non-stick right away, but cast-iron lasts longer, deals with very high heat much better (particularly useful when you set all the burners to maximum to get a good char) and - done correctly - when seasoned will provide a very good non-stick coating and protection from rust.

As for the side burner - as I mentioned before people who are really into outdoor grilling often opt for an aftermarket burner.  Turkey fryer burners are very popular because they have a much bigger burner, are really robust and can handle a 12" skillet, whereas those small 6" burners they put into grills cannot.  You can get one new for under $70USD, or you can wait until the fall when they show up on Kijiji for half that from people who used in 1-2x to fry a turkey and decided not to ever do it again.

AS someone else mentioned - buy a decent cover.  That will help the longevity of your grill more than anything else.  It's $20-30 well spent.

g'luck

Thanks!  Yes I've read there are pro and cons to stainless steel grates vs cast iron.  I mainly wanted the SS because when I was at a resort in Hawaii the shared grills there had SS and I really liked them.  The cast iron grates on my current grill are okay, but they also dont look very godo after a while. 

On the side burner: if you get an aftermarket one, how is it powered?  Does it need to be plugged into an electrical outlet?  Or can it run off the BBQ's existing propane tank? 

Godo advice on the cover.  I will definitely be getting one.  Apparently Costco has a popular one everyone uses. 

[nereo]

aftermarket side burners run off propane (or natural gas with a conversion kit), just like your grill.  You can get a splitter to run both the grill and the side burner off the same tank, or you can have two tanks (or you can hard-line it into your home's gas line, should you have one.