I bought a through-neck by much the same logic.
By acccident, I ended up with an Epiphone Thunderbird Pro V, even though I was really after a 4 stringer. And I love it! Although I clearly have wide, and possibly undiscriminating, taste, as I also have a couple of Arias, an EB-3, a Jazz, a Precision, and a fretless Warwick Corvette
If you can cope with the name on the headstock, and the shape, the Epi Tbird Pro IV is a marvelously versatile -- although active -- bass. And the fact that are not at all expensive is just a plus; they really don't feel like budget instruments.