Yeah I guess I should sort of preface my answer. the only TL tapes I've heard actually are Moke's which are tlII->V3... they smoke.
and I think the sax is a good pre with the right gear.
I'm just very fond of the V2->MiniMe sound. With my mics the only thing that surpasses it (to me) on a consistent basis is m148->minime. Different gear sounds good in different situations. At times I've loved the V3 and even straight minime.
But with your budget I think the most versatile rig would be v2->minime.
also, the minime pre isn't *that* bad. It's as good as many mid-range pre's and certainly better than the Beyer etc.
good luck, don't be scared if you buy something and don't care for it resale value holds up quite nicely!