Actually, S40 was developed jointly with Mitsubishi, and is
based on a Mitsubishi Carisma platform (so volvito is almost
right about the Toyota Corolla connection). S/V40 were
introduced around 1996 in Europe as a replacement for the
440/460 series, and much later (I think, 2000) in the US.
You probably won't find one for $3000 unless it's been trashed.
A good condition S/V90 is a whole different story and a terrific
deal at this price, that being said you would probably look
at spending another 1,500 or so on more or less urgent
maintenance items. (That's been my experience, at least.)
Vlad
'98 965