I had a 10" for a couple of years and found it great... depending on your car and passengers the base and tube do take up a bit of space.
An 8 and 10 from a dark site are both very capable scopes and can give a lifetime of enjoyment...Should you want to get into imaging
the 8" can be quite easily and affordably .. "not sure affordable is a word that keeps company with astrophotography for long
"... mounted to get you started.. while still being able to swap back to dob mode to briefly escape the evil clutches of the dark side of the force.
good luck ,, seems your wife made a great choice coming in
here at x-mass
