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Though I generally agree with the wisdom imparted in John B's posts, I must differ with him on this one. There is nothing wrong and everything right with a high quality refractor as a first serious scope. I was out of astronomy for 20 years (1970 -1990) had only owned small scopes prior to that and not seen much of the sky. In 1991 I ordered and received (this does not happen these days) an AP 130 EDT. With this scope I really explored the skies and do not reckon there is any 8" scope that comes near. A good 10" newt may get close but the stars are still not as sharp. I still have this scope and will not part with it. I found it a thrill to chase down objects with the 130 that the books recommended 8" and 10" scopes for. This is from a reasonably dark location, so if you are observing from a city you may not get such good results.
I now have an 18" SDM. It good but not 3 times better than the 130, despite having 12x the light gathering power.
Yes you can get better scopes than a Tak102 for less money. The range of Stellarvue and Astro-tech refractors immediately comes to mind. Any of these scopes can be considered as "heirloom" and you will want to keep them and pass them down.
My AP130 started on a SPDX mount and now is on an EQ6. I reckon a HQ5 or EQ6 will be ideal for any 4" refractor you buy.
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