Meade lx-200 16" vs 7Mak"

Ok fellow Astromarters, I need your help and I need it reasonably quick. Here it it.. I currently have a 7" meade Mak that I love for viewing planets and some DP stuff. I do a little ccd stuf and would like to buy a real camera in th efuture. My problem is now I have this unbelievable opportunity to buy a almsot new 16" scope and do not know what to expect out of in comparison to my 7". I hear things about resolving power and and light gathering ability. How do these apply to seeing conditions in the middle of the road. Am I better moving up or staying put.
App fever is dangerous. All I think about is getting this scope.
Any advise and experiences with the two scopes is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Sincerely,

John Neyland Jr

I've heard many things about the 16". It seems that the optics on their older (pre-1998) versions had some pretty crappy optics, not even to the level of the c-14. The new ones, it seems, are a lot better.

The 16" SCT is damn heavy and is not a portable scope in the sense of the word. That would be a big thing to think about.
Now, you would have to look through this scope before buying to know if it is a good one or not. I would suggest you go look at it and make a decision.Floyd