Sounds like the OP is having a good time shopping! That's part of the joy of this kind of thing. And a good Strat has a lot of great sounds in it. And given how much they seem to appreciate the "runner-up" classic Telecaster sound, there's always another shopping journey down the line, and that semi-hollow, and so on, and so on, and down our favorite slippery slope...
If someone reading this is (like the OP in this thread) in love with quack and in love with the Tele pickup sound there are a couple meet in the middle options for those who are looking for one one guitar to handle something of both areas.
The 3 Pickup ("Nashville") Telecaster. Most will quack more-or-less like a Strat. None in the OPs price range from Fender or Squier, but they're out there. A Squier 3 pickup Tele hangs right next to me as I type this.
A blender control set for the Stratocaster. This is one example:
Mojotone Strat Blender wiring harness
These let you get the neck + bridge pickup combination on a Strat, somewhat mimicking the middle position on the Tele. I keep meaning to put one a Strat sometime, though I've never gotten around to it.