Well guys, I just took the plunge. Just moments ago, I bought a slightly used CIJ Jazzmaster off of eBay.
I know I was talking about how I'd much rather get a AVRI and everything before, but from what I've read the CIJ's are pretty nice and this one came with a whole bunch of modifications and extras; Lindy Fralin pickups, a buzzstop, a hardshell case, and the guy's local guitar tech modified the bridge just beforehand, all for a little over 900 bucks (free shipping, also). I'm fuckin' thrilled.