Hey guys, new member here

So I am about to do the most craziest thing and fulfill my sudden dream - to buy one of those limited 850. To my surprise I found one in Europe (Ukraine actually where I am from): 1997 850R, 2,3L, 190k km on odo.

Vin: YV1LS5002V2401426

What bothers me a bit is: owner keep insisting that it is a T-5R which to me is clearly not true. Here is why:
1. Seats are suede in the middle, leather on sides (which is 850R and not T-5R feature)
2. Engine code is 50, not 58.
3. Make year is 1997
4. Color is out of T-5R palette7
5. Rims are 7'17

And also there are some bits which I never seen before.
1. Carbon spoiler
2. Air intakes under headlights
3. Wings on skirts
4. Dual exhaust pipes
5. The most - color is Pearl Blue which I never seen before.

Owner tells it is fully stock. So asking for help - can some please help and confirm if that is an actual true 850R or some well made replica.

Thanks!

Photos below:

 

All of the body pieces are add-ons and the engine code is wrong (VIN shows as not valid). Can you get a shot of the VIN plate on the left inner fender?

 

Hey, I am afraid I can not provide a photo of a VIN code but..

I checked it here in Police department (Ukraine one) and it is correct and valid with clean history. Why is it wrong on your end?

 

The vin decoder was showing it as invalid.

 

https://www.freevindecoder.eu/YV1LS5002V2401426
This one checks out. Or should I search of something more specific?

 

The VIN shows the car as having the B5234T4 engine which was found on the 850 Rs, not the T5s which had the B5234T or T2s.

I believe the T5-Rs were 95-97 early and used the B5234T5 so this again supports the VIN and the badging agreeing its an 850R not a T5-R.

 

Yes I agree color alone tells it is not T5-R. But the question is is it a genuine 850R or fake? Any idea how to check?

 

The vin will tell you year, engine, model type, chassis, build location, serial number. There are other build plates on the pillar or firewall that specify trim pages, color etc. To be sure, you'd need to check that plate. But as I noted, only the 850R came with the engine listed on the VIN.

 

So basically 50 engine code / B5234T4 is unique and clear proof it really is a 850R, correct? I mean regular T5 or 850 would have different VIN engine codes?

 

yes the two digit code in the vin maps to the Volvo Bxxxx codes. you can also google "volvo modular engine wiki" to see broad view of all the white block iterations