For anything decent, look toward the $350 range (or above). Dobsonian mount are pretty excellent scopes. They give you the largest mirrors for the least money. There are of course pros and cons to buying a Dob.

PROS
1. They are inexpensive as compared to other scopes
2. They are simple to set up.
3. They don’t require a lot of accessories
4. They facilitate you learning the night sky

CONS
1. They are pretty much a “plain-vanilla” scope. Other than observing, there isn’t much flexibility to do anythig else (like astrophotography)
2. Most Dobs won’t track your object. Walk away from it for any period of time or just slightly bump the scope and you have lost your target.
3. You’ll find yourself in various positions (sometimes contortions) trying to look through the eyepiece.
4. Again, with most Dobs at the lower price range, if you don’t know the night sky very well, you will spend a LOOONG time searching for your targets b/c there is no “GoTo” function. Computerized scopes with a “GoTo” function (locates and tracks your object) tend to be expensive and the expense increases with the apeture. But, it spares you from spending most of your time hunting down objects.

That’s the small list. Whether you buy a Dob or some other type of scope is a matter of personal choice. Just make sure you look at ALL the benefits and drawbacks BEFORE you spend your money so you don’t wind up with a very expensive coat rack.

You may even want to start out with binoculars and a sky chart to learn the night sky before you invest in a telescope. Here is a excellent site to start with in researching the type of scope you may want to buy:
http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes/telescopes101article.cfm

Wish you all the best in your new astronomical pursuits!

Clear Skies!

BTW — I would not recommend buying a scope with a mirror or lens under 5″ (130mm)