I have been summoned buy /u/orlet ;-)

I have the Skywatcher Heritage 130p. And even though I have a larger telescope, I use it quite often due to it's portability.

 

Alternatives

Seems like you have done your research, great! A 8" dobsonian does fit into a car though (size links), so if you can transport and store it (basement, under your bed, disguise it as floor-vase or put a lamp shade on-top of it to increase WAF), it will show much more.

Still, don't underestimate the Heritage's size :-) Size compared to a small Homo Sapiens.

 

Eyepieces/Magnification

The Heritage 130p is not made for overly high magnification. It's mirror is known to be "somewhat parabolic" and has been discussed a lot in the German astronomy forums. Still, mine performs quite well. The Cassini division of Saturn's rings and the great red spot on Jupiter where all visible. But don't push it.

Heritage 130p / AWB Onesky and Magnification

So the minimum eyepieces to get is a 3.2mm or 4mm HR Planetary. A barlow can work but reduces the contrast a bit.

For my Heritage, I use

You should also get a collimation eyepiece. You don't need anything fancy though. You can make or buy a collimation-cap, or a cheshire sight-tube (makes it a little easier, and with the short tube of the 130p, you can look through it while reaching the knobs, so you really don't require a laser collimator). Also, it's possible without tools.

Cheap lasers are not accurate. I rarely use mine. The Cheshire is the way to go, unless you can afford a ~90€ 2" CNCed laser.

 

Too short to ride

Get an Ikea Bekväm or something else that's sturdy. On our balcony table it's just not rigid enough. The Bekväm is inexpensive, performs better than a 130/650 on EQ2 mount, and while the 130p's base is a bit large, the feet just fit around the base and the center bolt into the Bekväm's hole/handle.

Out in the field, a small fishing stool works nice, but even then, the Heritage is really low to the ground. In the summer a seat pad can do.

I can fit my binoculars, the Heritage, a book, flashlight, eyepieces, stool, seat-pad and something to drink into my medium/large back-pack. It's a tight fit though :-)

 

Don't bother importing it from the UK for a few bucks (probably very little price difference after shipping... And soon TAX :D ). IMHO. It's good to buy locally in case of shipping damage or other faults.

 

Virtuoso

I like the concept of those, but the Virtuoso 114 has a F/4 aperture ratio, resulting in a few issues (contrast, coma, obstruction size). The 130p's F/5 is already a compromise. The Virtuoso90 is a nice portable Maksutov, but it shows very little. I have a 90mm Mak and the 130p, it's a big difference.

 

Explorer 130p and EQ2

The Explorer 130p is indeed a nice telescope, but the mount ruins the deal. I have a Astro3 mount (a tad beefier than the EQ2) and using the 130p on it results in very noticeable vibrations and shakiness. It makes focusing and tracking tedious. Not as horrible as the Powerseeker 114eq with the long 4.5" telescope on EQ1, but still...

 

You can sometimes pick up a used 114/900 for under 50€ and build a simple rockerbox (€5 or more sophisticated) and basically turn it into something like the Orion XT4.5. The 114/900 has a bit less aperture than the Heritage 130p, but it's aperture ratio has contrast benefits when observing planets (little to no coma, parabolization is not required, smaller obstruction).

 

Alternatives

There's also the Lightbridge Mini 130, but while it's available in the US, only few stores in Europe seem to carry it, at least not for a price comparable to the Heritage 130. The Mini 130's closed tube has contrast benefits, and the focuser is less wobbly... But of course it takes up more space.

The Starblast 6 is another compact dobsonian, shows a bit more, but it's even bulkier.

 

Guide to the sky

Also pick up a good guide (English: "Turn left at Orion"; German: "Sternatlas für Kleinteleskope"/"Atlas für Himmelsbeobachter". Not sure what's recommendable over there). These are the "missing manual" on how to observe, what to expect, and what's worthwhile observing. Without one, it will be a difficult learning phase with lots of frustration.

And dim red light to preserve night-vision. €1 Bike tail light with a couple of layers of tape, or a €20 dim-able astronomy flashlight.

Even if you have a smartphone + App with "night mode" it will ruin your night-vision. A red transparency sheet can fix that.

 

Even (cheap) binoculars are nice, as they show a much larger field of view. They already show a bunch of nebulae and make it easy to find & "star-hop" to the target.

 

What not to get:

 

TL;DR:

 

Clear skies :-)