: The dealers don't make thier money on the Telescopes. Put another way, the markup from the price that the manufacturer sells the scope for isn't that much less than what the dealer sells it to you for. The prices are pretty solid and aren't going to come down any. The SCT's are indeed done on a production basis so they are really a great deal for what you get. The best you might find is about $50 off the price. You can get more aperture by the Newt. type of scope. That means that you would want to buy a Newt. on a German Eq. mount. : I might note that with the advent of CCD cameras like the ST-4 and the cheaper Pictor camera/autoguiders that that is the way to go and do astrophotography if you want to. Use the autogider to correct for the errors that the drive system does. : Also note that for about $300 or so, any scope can be computerized with one of the computer andons which can be done later. : And another thing, are you sure that you want to spend than much more for something that you aren't sure of yet? From your first post, you sound like a newbie to the obsession :) of astronomy. Start small and grow with your wants is the best way. You might also want to look around the web for used scopes.