I've not tried any of the current production Fenders simply because there are none to try in my neck of the woods. The only lefthanded Fenders I see around here are the ubiqutious natural or black MIM Jazzs (usually missing a few knobs and setup dismally).

My '75 Precision is the bass I judge all others by however it is heavily modified so it is probably not a good comparison to the typical 70's era instruments. But it is my belief that much of the despersions cast upon that generation of Fenders is overblown just as is the veneration of the pre-CBS instruments. Both decades saw its fair share of prizes and junk.

That said, there is very little disagreement about the quality of the 80's Japanese production and if you are looking for an older era Fender I would definitely suggest that you seek them out. The prices are steadily rising on the MIJs but they are still commonly available for half the price of the same years USA instruments. I have an 80s model MIJ '62 Reissue Jazz and it is a superb bass that is every bit as good as any USA model. In fact the only modification I made was to replace the bridge because the original was in pretty rough condition and quite honestly, I prefer a heavier bridge. I also had the grounding strip moved to inside the body and a new pickguard installed for purely aesthetic reasons.

Other considerations are the "Boutique" Fender-clones Sadowsky, Lull, Lakland which if you find them used are usually close to the price of a new USA Fender. And of course there is always our very own RGW or JohnK over on TB (who by all accounts builds a superb vintage style Fenderesque bass)..

I have very rarely been able to "try before you buy" but so far I have been lucky in that all those that I have had to buy sight unseen have been good instruments.

Whatever you ultimately decide I wish you luck and enjoyment in the pursuit.

Cheers!

Keep your eyes peeled for a used G&L SB-1. After about 1985(maybe???) they took the single pup and made it into a split-pup (P-bass). I see one every once in a while, which is how I snagged my 1988 model. Very well made, VERY hot pickup!!!

I was not implying that American made Fenders in the 70's and 80's are bad instruments, I was just assessing the idea of buying one of those on E-bay for a lot of money when you really don't know what you are getting into, considering the consistency of the production in those times. If you can try the instrument, verify it is OK and like the sound, why not. In my mind, if anyone is holding onto a good vintage bass, chances are you won't see it on the Bay. If it does, and that's the one you bought, well you were just very lucky.
As to the new ones, I got to try them (I am fortunate enough to live in a very populated area where you can sometimes run into non-beginner lefties) and I was very impressed by the ones made after 2007.

I've never lost money buying a used Fender

Good point Geoff. I guess, It just freaks me out to buy those guys on the bay.
FYI: Eventually, I bought Cavernplayer's Red American Std P-Bass. It's a mid 90's model. We'll see how I like it after I receive it. Not too many lefty red P-basses around.