Proud owner of a relatively large expensive telescope here. I mainly use it for astrophotography, but I think I can still help you out. Light pollution is an incredibly large factor when it comes to observing things, especially deep sky objects like star clusters and nebulae. Even though I still manage observing from my suburban part of town, try and get out into a rural area if you can. You might not like this next part, but the costs add up pretty quickly for a nice scope. I would recommend a computerized GoTo telescope if you're willing to upgrade. After a simple alignment procedure that involves you pointing the telescope at a few random stars, the telescope will automatically target anything you chose from it's database. Celestron makes a great series of introductory GoTo scopes called the NexStar SE series. (http://www.celestron.com/browse-shop/astronomy/telescopes/series/nexstar-se-computerized-telescopes) I started out on the six inch model, which costs around $900 if you get some of the optional accessories. Due to their advanced mounts, you won't get that large of a telescope for your money. If you think you can handle tracking manually, go for a Dobsonian telescope. An eight inch GoTo will cost you $1,200, but an eight inch Dobsonian telescope might cost you half of that. No matter what you buy, if you ever decide to invest in a new telescope, you certainly won't regret it. I got my old six inch telescope about a year ago, and I've been hooked ever since. I even bought a larger telescope just recently. On an related note, check out some of the free night sky apps if you have a smart phone. Saturn and Mars are both visible after sunset, and should be easy to find with the aid of an app that shows you what you're looking at. Let me know if you have any more questions, i'll be more than happy to answer them.