ToomanyVolvos @Slowbrick "does not alter the truth that the cars are not rare"?
So you've found 4 on Facebook marketplace along with wanted ads, I'd still call that rare. Oftentimes wanted ads appear when the market is so thin the handful available cars are not suitable to the buyers. You generally don't see wanted ads for say a Volvo V50, which is still a statistically rare car.
I didn't say I don't use Facebook Marketplace, just that I'm not a fan, I avoid it. I've found most sellers using it to be immature, unprofessional, dishonest, and mostly but not always peddling garbage.... All Bar One or two transactions I've made on that platform have resulted in nothing but wasted time.
You can advertise for free on Carsales up to 5K, if you've got a car worth selling I can't understand why you wouldn't take advantage of that, maybe it's just me.
The whole point of my post was that assuming the originally mentioned (and only Carsales listed 740) sold as a non runner for about the asking price, then perhaps this model has entered a new phase.
Wanted ads also appear when people are too lazy to do their own searching and want the car to just appear in their life. If something is rare then the last place it will be advertised is to someone just saying "i want it, i have cash". It will be put up to the market and due to its rareness will have a large audience searching and waiting to buy it.
They arent as common as they were 10 years ago but neither are alot of things. Once again, you have made a personal choice to avoid using FB as your chosen avenue for buying and selling. That doesnt alter the truth for everyone else about your view of their perceived rarity. If I wanted a 740 then I bet i could spend 2 weeks searching across ALL platforms and find one to buy. It might not be as fresh as one 10 or 20 years ago but I could still obtain one. Dont confuse actual rare in any condition with rare in good condition as they are not the same thing.
Certain trims are no doubt considered rare in that the turbos are much more rare than the regular GLs because most of the turbos have been parted out to build 240 turbos because 10 years ago you could buy one for $300. The actual model itself is not yet rare and with a decent search effort you could obtain one with relative ease compared to an actual rare model such as a PV, 1800 or some of the pre 80s 1s and 2s. Also dont forget the economical climate we are in. Some are selling to get cash to keep afloat but alot of people ive spoken to in the car world are holding and not selling or buying. This has slowed down the market which is why you are seeing a decline in cars, particularly old ones, for sale.
If you are looking for confirmation bias then sure, 740s are not a common occurrence anymore and some, including yourself, would consider them rare. To the rest of us who understand finding anything old requires searching and effort then no, they are no more rarer than finding anything of that vintage and its just part of the game.