I think I'll go with the second hand thing, because I really don't mind if it's used as long as it functions correctly. Finding a good one may be tricky though, since I'd like to try it before buying, and I doubt there are too many people in Finland selling second-hand basses :P. Squier remains a good option.

What would you recommend for $1000 basses?

Edit: What's the difference between precision basses and jazz basses?

Oh, and thanks for the help so far.