Kettles, drums and barrels. The format most charcoal technique was written for.
The same 57cm bowl without the ash sweep, the hinged grate or the thermometer. Cooks identically. The cheapest sensible way in.
The default answer for most people and has been for seventy years. Two dampers are the whole control system and they are enough.
The same kettle with the three accessories you were going to buy anyway: the GBS grate that takes inserts, char-baskets, and a lid hook.
The top of the kettle range, adding a hinged lid on a stand so you never put a hot lid on the floor, plus a warming rack.
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A charcoal grill is the cheapest route to genuinely good outdoor food. A 57cm kettle will sear a steak at over 300°C and hold 120°C for a rack of ribs, which is a range no gas barbecue at four times the price matches.
Buy on three things: adjustable vents top and bottom, a lid that actually fits, and enough bowl depth to bank the coals to one side. Everything else is convenience. If the budget is tight, buy the cheaper kettle and spend the difference on a chimney starter and a thermometer.