For me I would look for the strat that has the action and fit/finish I like and then I would toss in a nice set of pickups that fit my taste. That way I get a guitar the plays/looks well for me and has the sound that I want at the same time. If you are looking to resell later, then go with American imho just because that seams to mean a lot to some people. If you do upgrade the pickups you can always put the original ones back in when you sell it.