Chuck,
If you just want to grill and plan to do it for years on end, get a Weber. In fact, since you probably cannot get a 3 or 4 burner version for $500 unless it's on clearance this time of year (you may be too late), check Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for some near you. That is the easiest way to get a quality grill that will last for years.
If you want to do other things such as low and slow smoking, or cooking pizzas (high temp), you can go with an insulated Egg style grill (Big Green Egg's are expensive, but there are now double-walled enamel steel cookers for much less).
If you want to just do grilling and smoking, you could go with a pellet pooper (Traeger or others), but those are going to be over $500 for anything decent.