If your budget for a new telescope is 1800$ or so, you will have to look very closely to buy the exact one. The same thing happened to me. I would make up my mind on which telescope I would buy, then keep convincing myself it was the right scope. For 1800, eight inches is very expensive, but you get good portability. However, visually A LOT is sacrificed. A Big dobsonian would be a great choice visually, and you would NEVER get bored from it, but if would be a pain in the Language Removed, and back, everytime you set it up, move it around and peek through the eyepice 6 feet high. You have to remember a SCT isn't like perfect, it is visually a little worse then a reflecter. I think you will be dissapointed with what you will see through the LX50, not because of quality, but simply aperture. You will only see about three fourths of the detail in pictures, will barely any color at all. A BIG 16" dobsonian can be bought on an alt-az mount, and provide spectacular views. These big dob. aren't for little baby beginners at all, trust me. You will be able to see FOUR times as bright, which in affect allows you to resolve TONS more detail, see deep-space objects IN COLOR, magnify more, and the bigger aperture will resolve A LOT more better. The alt-az mountis easy to operate, but doesn't track objects. You can still add the magellan system though. There a lots of other options, look for other brands, ask for lots of advice, go to personal pages of people who use that telescope. Remember, the best telescope for you, is the one that you'll enjoy using.