Unless you are planning on turning the car over fairly quickly, I wouldn't be too hung up on either milage or a salvage title. This might not be the case if we were talking about an ordinary car, or one built such that inspection is difficult ro ascertain hidden damage.
Defenders are built in a very straightforward manner, and while the erector set analogy is tright (meccano, in the UK) it's pretty true.
A salvage title can be issued by the insurance company for a variety of reason other than collision. In most states, a theft recovery payoff gets the title 'branded', as does flood, fire, and collision. If this werre a garden variety Ford, it might turn me off, as I'd always like to know I can unload it if I chose. I have a Defender 110, even more scarce than a 90, so finding an affordable one means it may be worth compromising some rules. In my case, I located a fire damaged one in south Florida. I had a fellow buy it for me at the insurance auction and had it trucked to CT, where I rebuilt it completly. My total investment was less than half what they were selling for, which is not to say I would have considered paying the going rate.
High milage, or unknown milage wouldn't put me off a good truck at a good price either. The key is that either you are ecapable of inspecting it to your satisfaction, or have it done by a professional. Taking a hard line on either issue could mean a real bargain slipping through your fingers
|