Liam,
The G11 is, in my opinion, the best bang for the buck. It has a greater weight capacity and doesn't cost that much more. Not hard to set up either unless you have serious back problems. This 70+ year old handles it easily.
Unless you go bigger than, say, a 10 inch Newtonian, the G11 will serve you well for years.
Of course, just one persons opinion.
And, of course, for guiding is necessary. Just don't get too greedy on the focal length to start with - guiding is more critical and exposures become long with high f/-ratios.
Mark Christensen
