Hi Thomas,
Astro has provided great advice.
I have a Celestron 6se and a Celestron CPC and I would recommend if you are sticking with SCTs to go the CPC series scopes. If you are not afraid they do come up time to time on iceinspace as they are pricey.
I would recommend as Astro has mentioned to get a 12inch goto dob for bang for buck and great views. You will need to collimate though each time for the dob as a caveat. You will also have a few $$$ to spend on some eyepieces as well.
As Bobby has mentioned researching and finding stuff is also half the fun and getting a kick out of locating objects.
