First time was with a homemade 10" bought for $100 in 1973 from the guy that made it.
Second entry, years later, was a Meade ETX-90 and then an LX-90 8" with
But eyes are fixed and I headed down the rabbit hole for the third time determined to spend the absolute minimum. See my One Day At Time series here.
But, as someone else pointed out, buying cheap equipment is buying frustration.
My 4.5" Orion StarBlast isn't bad, I have a cheap SV305 camera (although I haven't admitted it yet), and I've solved my red-dot finder problem with an affordable right angle finder. But the mount is driving me f'ing NUTS! So much so that I've endured SWMBO's wrath and said I want to buy a used Skywatcher EQM-35 for $550.
Ignoring my connubial issues, what do you think of the EQM-35 mount and price? (Don't tell me I need a better scope, that's another issue. Or wife, she's a keeper for many other reasons.)