Okay so I finally got around to this since I needed to make a login to buy more parts! I've got myself a 2001 RS that I managed to find with a manual gearbox and only 50K miles, from the original owner with no accidents on the CarFax or AutoCheck.
There were some serious bumps in the road getting it road-worthy however, but now that it's all settled, here's a few pictures. I'm looking forward to keeping this car a very, very long time. Enough chat, here's some photos from the day I got the car to just a few days ago:
I've only done a few things so far:
New Exedy clutch kit and ACT StreetLite flywheel
Replaced hard brake lines
K&N air filter
Extended armrest
Yellow Lamin-X on the fog lights, clears on the headlights
Various OEM parts purchased new to replace worn items, minor things
Overall I'm very happy with the car, been wanting a GC8 for some time now. Plans are in the works, but nothing crazy, I'd like to keep this car as original as possible with OEM+ styling without going overboard, like my old car.
Before this I drove an E30, good times:
Looking forward to learning a lot from this board and others like it! And if anyone knows where I can get a black coupe wing...!
To answer your questions - I noticed the clutch point was high and shuddered when getting into gear. It was enough for a local specialty shop (DPS) to agree it could use replacing. I wanted to get this thing completely put together as I'll have a longer commute soon.
They did see the clutch that came out was in good shape, but the flywheel was not. That and the throwout bearings as well were in really poor shape, so much so the shop noted it was a bit dangerous driving on it. Sadly I still have the notorious noise after all that.
I found the extended arm rest via a craigslist ad for rear spats! I ended up selling the spats, but I kept the armrest. Of course the tab is broken though. Looking for a proper fix, not just velcro.
I've got my Blizzak WS70's in and my brand new 5-hole steelies ready to go! Just have to get them mounted up and I'll post some pics.
Next up is a set of rubber mats. Anyone got a pic of the '08+ rubber mats in a GC8? I've seen the '02+ mats but heard they are bulky and can get in the way of the pedals sometimes.
That's an interesting question. The main difference is the AWD/RWD variation between the two.
I feel much more confident in the RS of course, but the E30 had a much more refined interior in my opinion that was very ergonomic and driver focused. The RS does this but not as much as the E30.
My E30's handling was on par with the RS now, very planted in the corners and very preditcable, but that's comparing coilovers to standard RS suspension.
Of course powersliding is a blast in the E30. In all there's a 10 year difference in age from my E30, which was a slower 318iS but with a ~2500lb curb weight.
They're a very capable and easy to work on car. Its much, much harder to get into one now than when I got mine in 2003. If you have any more specific questions I can try and answer them, or head to R3Vlimited forums for more. I was on there for many many years.
Got my winter wheel setup together! Found the Subaru steelies new in their boxes with the part numbers off craigslist, and the winter tires are Blizzak WS70's.
Looking to remove the spoiler and find appropriate plugs for the holes as well, took measurements of everything earlier. I'll be moving soon so I won't have my garage! I am saddened.
Regardless I did have another question. Anyone out there who has the ORIGINAL key and alarm? Just wondering what came with these from the factory.
I gotta get my hands on that key, I can't find a blank anywhere. Same for the lock/unlock, my car's old alarm keeps going off when I unlock it with the key.
For winter I'd like to just plug the holes. For the spring season I want to get my hands on a coupe spoiler but they seem hard to find.
Anyways I'm moving this weekend, and I'll be without a garage! I'll have to make the best of it but dammit if I'm not worried about salt this winter eating my car up.
Overall I'm very happy with the car, been wanting a GC8 for some time now. Plans are in the works, but nothing crazy, I'd like to keep this car as original as possible with OEM+ styling without going overboard, like my old car.
can I just say that this is nice to hear for a change?! I was dreading scrolling down and finding pics of the whole thing torn apart and a bunch of the stock parts up for sale....
'course I always say the sedan spoiler gets no respect
I gotta get my hands on that key, I can't find a blank anywhere. Same for the lock/unlock, my car's old alarm keeps going off when I unlock it with the key.
For winter I'd like to just plug the holes. For the spring season I want to get my hands on a coupe spoiler but they seem hard to find.
Anyways I'm moving this weekend, and I'll be without a garage! I'll have to make the best of it but dammit if I'm not worried about salt this winter eating my car up.
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I was dreading scrolling down and finding pics of the whole thing torn apart and a bunch of the stock parts up for sale....
