I'd look it over pretty good, but $500 is less than the lower model, Genesis -- actually in the upper middle part of the Spirit or entry level line),and a new Summit looks like they start at about $1299. I'm not familiar enough with the alpha model names, so I'm not sure what features that model would have -- I'm looking at new ones myself. The grill we are replacing was a Genesis that we had right at 12 years and could have replaced the burners (10 yr warranty), but we'd already decided we were ready for a new one the next time a part went out. You can repair and maintain Weber grills and keep them going a long time -- so if that one is in good condition when you look at it, I'd think it was worth a go.

I agree with GrillMeister. I bought my first Genesis 3000 when Weber first started making them in the 80s. I had a traditional Charbroil, and the aluminum castings corroded to where the whole thing turned white. Also, the "H" shaped pressed-steel burner corroded to where I had very little heat control. And the chrome wire grills lasted maybe a year. The engineer in me really liked the Genesis design with the pipes for burners, the flavorizer bars and the porcelain coated parts. I did the math, and if the Genesis only lasted up to its warranty, it was cheaper to own the Genesis than to buy Charbroils like the one I had. That Genesis lasted over 10 years. I'm now on my second Genesis; a 1000, which is about 8 years old or so. (I found I didn't use the external burner) I've replaced the bars and grates with stainless parts. And this past weekend, I replaced the rails that the bottom tray slides on. Weber sent those to me at no charge. If I were buying a new grill now, it would be a Silver C. I wouldn't spring for the Gold, cause the SS lid is not that big of a deal to me. I can replace the bars and grates in stainless if I need to down the line. I wouldn't spring for the Summit series, 'cause it's a lot more money for something that is not much more functional. It does look cool, though... The Silver Weber is a great cooking machine.

I've got some metals, but I had them for decades. About 1200 oz of silver bought at $5 per oz and some scrap gold. No one can tell for sure if gold is too high or too low to buy. But if push comes to shove I'd say gold will be higher down the road as our world decomposes around us. Gold is good for those worried about inflation hedges. Used to be the fed at least printed money. Now all that needs to be done to create billions is to magnetize a silicon chip. This is what fuels the hard commodity people that want something tangible for real wealth. But it all revolves around our world not crumbling too much, as gold can be near worthless too. Would you rather have a sack of gold in the desert or a sack of bottled of water? Let me tell you people in need don't want gold they want water, food and shelter and warm, dry clothes. Try cig lighters, seeds, 22 ammo, matches, sewing needles, soap, etc., for barter. You know sewing needles, fishhooks and 22 LR can't be made easily at home. 22 LR may be the small change currency of our future...not bars of gold and silver. What you going to buy anyway when TEOTWAK arrives? A new Ferrari? A vacation home that you can't get to? And gold is so high priced it is not that practical for small change transactions... "I'll trade a banana for your Krugerrand?" Well, maybe bananas are a bad example as they may become scarce as they need to be shipped in with crude sucking tankers. Many areas of free barter items that run through our hands. We go through tons of seeds in a year and they would make good barter items and we get em for free in our food. Especially the high seeds yielding squashes and melons seeds. Another for free area of barter goods is the disposable plastic bottles we drink from. Our family goes though 20 - 25 bottles a week. They can be saved if one has the room (which we don't) and used for barter if need be. (People will need empty bottles.) Edible landscaping will be most important to feeding what is left of us when TEOTWAK arrives. Here are 3 good books for those interested in developing an urban homestead. [url]http://www.amazon.com/Food-Not-Lawns-Neighborhood-Community/dp/193339207X[/url] [url]http://www.amazon.com/Gardening-When-Counts-Growing-Mother/dp/086571553X[/url] [url]http://www.amazon.com/Self-Sufficient-Suburban-Gardener-Jeff-Ball/dp/0878574573[/url] I think we have a real food crisis brewing for the world. Not enough young farmers replacing the old, we will run low of fertilizer as the NG dries up and that food which is grown is devoid of nutrition and not healthy. And to make matter worse, fewer people can even afford to buy produce. With the recent food shortages in the news I have to wonder as Richard Heinberg brought up "Who will be growing our food 20 years from now?" "The average American farmer is 55 to 60 years old. The proportion of full time farmers younger than 35 years of age has dropped from 15.9% in 1982 to 5.8% in 2002. Who will be growing our food 20 years from now?" from "Peak Everything" by Richard Heinberg "Amish farmers can't compete in conventual agriculture farming. 40 years ago 90% to 95% of the Amish were farmers. Today less than 10% are farmers." from: "How the Amish Survive" DVD And even if the farmers keep up with production, many people cannot afford the high prices of produce. At Krogers a butternut squash was $7, a large apple was $1.85, a rutabaga was $3, an artichoke near $5 and a lemon was $1.35, a bag of cherries was $14.75, ONE organic yam was $8.25. And these high priced produce are being offered when times are still relatively good What will this stuff sell for when gas is $10 or $15 a gallon? Peak oil, peak NG, peak water and food as well as peak uranium will fuel mass starvation as our artificial and unsustainable world decomposes around us. As people buy less produce due to affordability issues and the produce stops selling and rots on the shelves, the farmers will grow less produce that just rots unsold and less potential farmers will be entering that field. Book and DVD list. All available from your local library. Beyond Oil: the view from Hubbert's Peak by Deffeyes, Kenneth S. [url]http://www.princeton.edu/hubbert/[/url] The Coming Economic Collapse - how you can thrive when oil costs $200 a barrel by Leeb, Stephen A Crude Awakening - the oil crash Lava Productions AG, Switzerland DVD [url]http://www.oilcrashmovie.com/[/url] The End of Suburbia - oil depletion and the collapse of the American dream by Greene, Gregory DVD [url]http://www.endofsuburbia.com/[/url] Fed Up [url]http://www.amazon.com/Fed-Up-Angelo-Sacerdote/dp/B000CNGC6G[/url] High Noon for Natural Gas: the new energy crisis by Darley, Julian [url]http://www.highnoon.ws/[/url] The Long Emergency: surviving the converging catastrophes of the twenty-first century by Kunstler, James Howard Oil Apocalypse History channel DVD Peak Oil Survival: preparation for life after gridcrash by McBay, Aric Powerdown: options and actions for a post-carbon world by Heinberg, Richard Resource Wars: the new landscape of global conflict by Klare, Michael T [url]http://www.amazon.com/Resource-Wars-Landscape-Conflict-Introduction/dp/0805055762[/url] A Thousand Barrels a Second: the coming oil break point and the challenges facing an energy dependent world by Tertzakian, Peter Twilight in the Desert: the coming Saudi oil shock and the world economy by Simmons, Matthew R. Well written book examining 12 of the key Saudi oil fields. Who Killed the Electric Car? Sony Pictures Classics release [url]http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/[/url] Zoom:the global race to fuel the car of the future by Iain Carson and Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran. .."In a shipwreck, one of the passengers fastened a belt about him with one hundred pounds of gold in it, with which he was afterwards found at the bottom. Now, as he was sinking--had he the gold? Or had the gold him?" ~ Ruskin

Golden Beach was another of my possibilites Jen. I had forgotten that one! Those were all on my list too...really thought I was going with the TB, but after I saw this, I had to have it! Thanks pjcs :)...seeing your pic the other day prompted me to ask the question. geez they look like they could have come from the same slab!! It is funny how they are all so similar and yet all so different...I loved going through the stone yard and just gazing at everything wondering just how they all got that way, over the millions of years....fascinates me :) ccoombs...I completely understand...so much better to wait for what you really want! I waited till we could rip out the tan brown and replace it with this!!! I'm sure you'll post a pic when you get it all done. Now i want a slab for my hearth!!! ;)