'05 S60 R "California"?

[Christian1]

Hey everybody,
I'm in the process of buying an '05 Volvo S60 R from my mechanic. He's a volvo specialist who I've used for a while with my old 850 and he is a very trustworthy guy. Definitely the opposite of the shady mechanic stereotype.
He wants to sell me an S60R that he got from one of his other clients but there are a few questions I have about it that I can't seem to find any help online about. This is the R model which supposedly all came with AWD. This one doesn't for some reason and he doesn't know why. He said he's seen one like this before out in California and he knows there are some differences in California emissions laws so his guess is that this model was originally sold in California and that they were sold there without the AWD due to their increased regulations.
I haven't been able to find anything that could corroborate that theory anywhere. Does anybody know anything about these or if "california models" are even a thing? I have no reason to not believe him but I was hoping someone might be able to shed some light.
Thanks!

[tryingbe]

Vin number?

This is a serious red flag. California cars are known to have different emission equipment, not different drivetrain completely.

[Christian1]

Thanks for the reply tryingbe. I actually posted to reddit.com/r/cars at the same time as this and a couple of the guys over there helped me run the VIN and check a few things and apparently the VIN runs as a regular 2.5T, not an R. Which definitely makes sense given those red flags.

I feel like an idiot for not being able to tell earlier but I guess it's better to feel like an idiot now rather than later!

Thanks!

[JRL]

Your trusty mechanic???????

[vtl]

Your trusty mechanic???????

Ha-ha, JRL, you're right!

[abscate]

There were lots of them madeoff in CA. Other unique feature is the VIN on your paperwork is different than the VIN plate on the car. Normally, that's a problem, but Volvos are special,Ike that.

Ouch on that story.