SS Performer Score?

[tdw]

I've been trolling Kijiji (the Northern Craigslist) looking for / thinking about buying a Performer. My Holy Grail would be one like Winz' Bisbee. I also like the blue kettles; but, I'm not as fond of the plastic tables on the more current Performers.

Today I stumbled upon this & e-mailed the seller right away to see if it was still available ...



It is still available & he sent me a few more picks ...







He was originally asking $175 but offered to let me have it for $140 since he lives an hour and a half away from me and I will likely have to put some money into it. I don't want to be ignorant or offensive; but, I am thinking of asking for a larger discount if I need to replace the propane ignition. What do you think would be a reasonable approach?

The seller says that he's owned the BBQ for over 10 years, only used it the first few years and has been sitting unused since, most of that time outside. Further, there's no damage to the kettle or cart, only a few small rust stains on the stainless steel, and likely the propane tank is in need of replacement.

Once I get it, I would like to replace the kettle with a copper one, maybe make a few other mods; but, I'll just get it cleaned up & working first.

Any comments on what to watch out for or be aware of when I go inspect it on Saturday morning?

Thanks in advance for any help or a advice!!

[Winz]

TDW - good to see you are looking at SS performers (my favorite model!).  A couple of observations:

• That ash catcher looks like the older model, meaning the ash sweep is the 7409.  I see some rust on the grates, leading me to believe the sweep assembly may be rusty as well.  You should examine it closely - while replacements ash sweeps can be had, they are pretty hard to find.  Take the ash pan off and look at the ash sweep bolt - if it is rusty, that is a good reason to ask for a better price.
• I would not be too concerned about the propane starter - any issues are easily fixed.  I would be more concerned about the tank itself. The valve is OPD (thats good), but make sure the tank certification is current and the tank can be refilled.  A replacement tank can be expensive.

For budgetary purposes,  a new replacement copper bowl, lid, and lid bale assembly is going to cost you about $175.  Since Copper performers were only recently introduced, finding a used one may be difficult.

Good luck Saturday - keep us posted!

Winz

[MartyG]

That tank looks like a 20 pounder to me. If so that is not the right tank for this model - although it will work. It should be a five pound tank. maybe the guy has it somewhere? FYI - I just had an older 5lb tank for a Performer re-certified and filled. It had the OPD valve like this one, but it was from 1998 and the cert had expired. It cost me $4.00 for the re-cert and $5.00 to fill. Took five minutes. A bargain if you ask me., just don't tell the seller that!

[tdw]

BUMMER! As I was driving my wife to the train station yesterday morning I told her about my find & plan to pick it up. Her response was to veto me. Gggggrrrrrr :-(

No SS Performer for me anytime soon. :-( :-(

[tdw]

It's back on!

I received an e-mail from the seller saying that he was tired of dealing with all the e-mails from lowballers, thought I seemed reasonable based on my emails (clearly doesn't know anyone who knows me! LOL) & that if I'm still interested that I could have it for $100 (original ask was $175).

This time I (gently) told my wife what I was going to do instead of asking. Now I'm scheduled to drive 1 1/2 hours one way to pick it up at 6:30 am tomorrow morning.

I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight - LOL.

[jcnaz]

That will clean up nicely. Good luck!

[demosthenes9]

Glad you got the lower offer.  In my view, $140 is waaaaaaay too much given that you plan on swapping out the kettle anyways.  In essence, that's $140 just for the SS cart and the electronic ignition.   That seems like a steep price.

[SixZeroFour]

You could also sell the black kettle being removed and pick up $40 or so for it I'm sure.

[GregS]

i hope this works out for you. 

and don't forget to pick up some flowers on your way home!!

[Heyjude]

Too bad we can't pick up good used wives on Craigslist!   

[GregS]

Too bad we can't pick up good used wives on Craigslist!   

nobody lets the good ones go cheap. 

and when they do, they're way on the other side of town and therefor geographically undesirable. 


keep us posted tdw!  flowers too or you may pay later. 

[MrHoss]

Confucius say, "one must always approach one's SWMBO with stealth when broaching the topic of a new cooker".

[Craig]

Too bad we can't pick up good used wives on Craigslist!   

Um......

[MacEggs]

As I was driving my wife to the train station yesterday morning I told her about my find & plan to pick it up. Her response was to veto me. Gggggrrrrrr :-(

No SS Performer for me anytime soon. :-( :-(

I cried a little inside when I first read this       ... Nice to see it's back on. Go get it and feed the Weberitis.

And ... Feed the wife.   

[1911Ron]

That should clean up nice! Congrats!