Weber Q 1200

Love my 11 year old Weber Q. As to cleaning, it depends on how clean you want to get it. I clean mine well about once a year and the rest of the time I just burn the grill off before cooking and hit it with a grill brush. As to the pans, they are a must as you will get grease out the bottom if you don't have the pan in place. The Weber pans are inexpensive and sold in a multi pack (don't remember how many are in the pack) but I just wipe the pan out and reuse it many times. Great choice in grill you made. Other than that, check the burner from time to time as the small holes clog up over time. I take a small needle held with vise grips to quickly clean the holes out. I've found even a small wire brush is not very effective on the burner holes and just clogs them back up. The needle works best. Same for my full size Weber Genesis in the back yard.