I own a CS bass - got it used with a little finish damage for $2000. No problem for me as it is a player, and after 6 years of gigs, it's not really mint anyway. For me, the CS is a cut above the rest. First time I played it, unsimplified, I could tell that it was a great bass by the feel and the resonance of the wood.
On the question of "is it worth it," the way I think about it is in terms of odds.
Let's say that fender makes 100 basses at the CS. 100 out of 100 are going to be fantastic instruments (the best quality)
Let's say they make 1,000 basses in the American factory, and 900 of those 1,000 are going to be really good instruments
Let's say they make 10,000 basses in Mexico, and 5,000 of those are going to be really nice
Let's say they make 100,000 squire basses and 5,000 of those are going to be pretty good. There are some good ones, but there are a lot more that are not so great.
As you work down the line, there are still going to be good players, but your chances of getting one decrease in a big way. I've played some OK MIM fenders,, but I've also played some real dogs. Is there a squire out there that is as good as the CS bass,,, you bet, but what are your chances of finding it, especially if you are ordering blind off the internet, or looking at pool of 5 basses that are available for you to try before you buy. Where as if you make the investment and get a CS bass, you know what you are getting.
The way it works is that all the wood, body blanks and necks, come into the fender factory. A guy who knows more than you or me about it, pics the very best wood out of that pile, and that wood goes to the CS. Then they pick the very best wood that is left after the CS gets theirs, that goes to the American factory, then they pick the very best wood that is still left and etc...
In the CS, the best wood is crafted by a small team of highly skilled people with great care, attention, and detail into a fine quality instrument. In the American factory, they are made by a much larger team of people, in Mexico they are pumped off an assembly line. You get the idea.
The CS is more like a "small builder" type bass. Go buy a Sadowsky, and it will cost you about the same as a CS bass.
