I wud not be to concerned whether it's either/or. Like others have pointed-out, rust is the main concern. You don't have to be too concerned about body parts, if you get a mostly rust free car to begin with. I am also of the opinion, cars from snow/salt free regions are/have best probability of minimized rust. Welcome to the forum!
Thanks for all the replies guys. Found a 73 Maverick I'm picking up tomorrow. I'll post some pics this weekend. Love the site and look forward to working with everyone.