Prepping New Grill

I've been lurking here about a month or more and finally decided to join to see all the deliciousness that's been shown here and was hoping I could ask for some help. I've grilled on and off growing up, can't say I've been too involved, and now that I've bought my first house one of the first things on the agenda is a new grill and start learning the trade. With Memorial Day sales I plan on picking up a propane grill to start and eventually working towards getting a smoker after a bit more time in the house to settle.

So my question comes to this, is there anything special I should do to prep the grill before it's first use and summer? I've seen suggestions of Rustoleum, which I may or may not use as this first grill I'll be happy to get 3 years out of to give me time to find a good deal on a Weber or something to step up to.

Thanks ahead of time and keep on cookin

Thanks for the answers. I've read through and they suggest something roughly along that process, but I can't say I ever trust a manual compared to experience so thought I would query the knowledgable ones.

My area is relatively dry on Webers, been looking for a month or 2 now. However I did come across a Char-broil smoker, same one asthis at Lowe's that I could probably talk the guy down to $50 for, looks in decent shape.

SmokenQ said:

Lowes also sells the AKorn by Char-Grill. I have it and just love it! Cant go wrong with it and could do more with it than a gasser! Item #: 131712

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Looks pretty awesome and I would love to step up to that. Right now with moving costs, landscaping, and all the rest that goes into moving from an apartment to a house that'll have to be added to my wish list for the time being.

Would love to get started smoking with that some day soon, looks like a bit of a learning curve getting in the game though. Out of curiosity, how long do you smoke for and how long do you leave it alone for? I'd be worried about fire or temp being off if I'm gone too long.