Breaking in a bass

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I'm sure the quickest and easiest route (for those who can afford it) is to just buy an old bass to begin with.
For someone in my lack of income bracket finding a bass that is well played in and speaks to me is a challenge. It seems most practical to get the last ounce of tone out of my current bass.
I am in the market for a 200 year old Italian bass under 5K if anyone knows where I might find one.