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I was pretty happy with my CG5 as the sweetest entry point into guided astrophotography. Brand new it was about $1,200 from memory (the handcontroller can and has been flashed to the latest firmware from Celestron).
I ran a Celestron Carbon Fibre 9.25 XLT with a Megrez 80mm piggybacked (the Meg's are heavy so on top of the C9.25 that's alot of turning moment) - it took 17kg to balance the scopes.
But with that said it performed above my expectations when carefully aligned and protected from the elements. It is readily controllable from a PC with the free Cartes Du Ceil + ASCOM drivers, it guides well with PHD running through a ShoeString Astronomy parallel port guider. I also found it executed Goto's well - more often than not putting stars on my Canon 400D chip, and always hitting the Meg + Meade DSI's chip.
Get a second hand CG5 if a good one at the right price pops up - that will be your cheapest, functional platform. Above this (double the price) I go a EQ6 $2.3K, for $3K should get a Sphinx SXD (when they're relased for export), at $3.5 is the Losmandy GM8 plus Gemini (Goto), $5K gets you a G11 + Gemini, $6k gets you a Celestron CGE (different rather than better than a G11), $7K will see you with an Atlux or a Tak EM-200, for $10K-$11 you might get a Tak NJP or a Losmandy Titan etc...
The mount is a critical bit of your set-up!
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