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Hi Terran,
I've found light pollution (in Brisbane) to be a huge issue with my 12" Lightbridge dob. I likewise cannot see much nebulosity at all except for the central regions of the brightest nebula (like the Orion Nebula). Many open and globular clusters are quite pretty though.
You have to get these instruments out to a dark site to really see nebulosity. When I get it out under a dark sky the extent and amount of detail I can see in the Orion and Tarantula nebulas can keep me busy for hours. The Tarantula is a particularly spectacular sight!
My 12" dob is vastly better for nebulas than my 8" Celestron SCT under a dark sky but in the light polluted suburbs of Brisbane the view through the 8" is better (probably due to the baffling).
I have read people commenting on the internet saying that "apeture cuts through light pollution". I cannot see how this can be true: if the sky is brighter than the object you are attempting to observe, no amount of apeture is going to improve the situation. Maybe they have upgraded to an expensive SCT with good baffling and can see more due to the increased contrast.
Portability is such a HUGE issue with telescopes when you don't have a dark sky in your backyard. I drive a small 2-door Celica and got a 12" Lightbridge soon after they become available as I had wanted more apeture for years but would have no hope of fitting a solid 12" Newtonian tube in my car. Sounds like you are in a similar position.
You can certainly see a lot from a light polluted site with a 12" dob. It will be nowhere near the true capabilities of your instrument though.
Personally I enjoy viewing planets from the suburbs the most. The 8" Celestron SCT is extremely comact, equatorially mounted (with simple clock drive) and most importantly provides awesome planetary views (on those nights when the seeing is good). I find this setup vastly preferable for planetary viewing to the dob.
Hope this helps.
Have fun,
Doug
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