If hes not seriously into astronomy then spending a few grand wont be necessary for a fabulous view of the sky. I would say a nice dobsonian mount 12" mirror would work nicely. They are large but made very light and are not too hard to move around.
I had an 8 inch and I could see 5 of jupiters moons clearly as well as the great red storm easily, polar ice caps on mars, and much more. A good 12" dobsonian will run you under $1000.00 and you would be amazed at the view. Invest a couple of hundred on various lenses and some filters and you will have a great gift for anyone, young or old.
Check out the orion dobsonian page for some great scopes.
http://www.telescope.com/jump.jsp?it...EGORY&itemID=9