Thanks all, a lot of fantastic responses :D
Chris We don't have a T4 but a regular NA 2.0. Can confirm parts are getting harder to find. They can generally be had, but depending what it is, could take a bit of time and effort to source.
That said, this is true of many older cars so it's not unusual in that regard.
That's a fair point to consider. I wonder if there's be many parts the dealer could source (albeit for a premium), or if it would all be a matter of browsing ebay then waiting a while for the shipping.
johna I've seen a few manual T4's come up for sale for $3-4,000 that appear to be in better condition and don't have significant issues (according to their advertisements at least).
If you have work to do, possibly a gearbox replacement, I would be wanting to pay in the area of $1-2,500.
It would also depend on registration.
I was thinking smack bang in the middle of that range. $2000 if it did end up happening.
How often do these things come up do you reckon? Might be worth waiting for another better option to come up in 6 months time.
AshDVS An S40/V40T4 still feels fast by todays standards (probably not in comparison to your Stagea though) - they may or may not be incentive to make it a suitable daily (it's a plus for me).
Like @jamesinc , I feel that they're very underrated as well. To the point where I often wonder why I havent previously owned one. For me, I struggle a bit knowing when to 'stop' - I start on some things and then find myself going down a path where I start thinking 'Since I'm here and doing this, I may as well do xyz' and I feel that's a dangerous mindset if I was to consider a daily of that age.
They're basically solid, but even the newest of them is getting close enough to 20yo now, so will either require effort to get it up to par (like this one) or will require maintenance effort to keep on the road or both.
That's the same issue with my Stagea, simple front mount and exhaust turns into injectors, fuel pumps, coil packs, bigger turbo, then voila' 300awkw and <300km on a tank of E85 plus stuff is always breaking with that amount of power. I dont need a daily anywhere near that quick, in fact it makes it more enjoyable in a lot of cases. Something something slow car fast than a fast car slow.
I used to own a C30 T5, and though it was an auto the thing felt plenty fast enough. The manual trans in the S40 is a big plus as a stick always makes things seem faster to me, so i'd be very happy with something zippy without being stupid fast.
Again, really appreciate all the help. Reckon I'll at least give the car a look and a drive, then see how things go.
Worst case, I just wait around for another to come up, even if it's a little more :)
