Yes, I'm completely sure its an Elite 9.8, my friend payed 500$ (according to him) for his 6500 and he thinks the Elite 9.8 (which he got from a repair shop for a trade in) is worse, he is my friend too so I think I could easily nab that 9.8 from him for just 500$ or so.
What kinda bugs me is that out of all the 9.8 pics I've seen, they all have RockShox SID labels on the fork, while my friend's has just a plastic piece covering the fork labeled Trek Elite 9.8.
Something seems fishy with that 9.8 but in any case, the frame is 100% carbon and it was pretty light so at least I know the frame is good.
I'm gonna check it some more tomorrow or Saturday and see more stuff about it.