Subaru Impreza GC8 & RS Forum & Community banner

The 2001 2.5rs Sedan High Schooler Budget Build

6K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  Dan7140 
#1 ·
Hey everyone, my name is Chris and I am going to be a senior in high school this year. I just picked this up and I have some plans for the car, so I figured I would share my journey with you. This is my first, very own, Subaru that I have owned for myself. My brother had a forester, but I never got to drive it because I didn't have my license then. He made it through 2 Jersey winters without any problems with it, but he had to sell it before he went to college. So I knew when I started to look for a new car it had to be a Subie.



How I came to own this car:
My first car was a Jetta MK4 5 speed. It was fun, but I was barely able to drive in the winter because it was not the best car in the snow. So after I finished school, I looked into buying a new car, I knew it had to be a subaru. Originally, I wanted a Legacy gt 5 speed sedan, preferably pre-2000. I couldn't manage to find one of those with low miles or minimal rust. So one day while car searching, I stumbled upon this car on craigslist. I was about to keep looking, but then my brother walked in my room to ask me something right before I hit back. He eventually persuaded me into calling the owner and going to take a look at it the next day. He even wanted to come with me to see the car.
When I went to take a look at it, I had cash in hand, but wasn't expecting much from the car and didn't think I was gonna buy it. When I got there, there were no surprises with the car; everything that the owner said was wrong with the car was wrong but there was nothing else bad about it. Then, when I went for the test drive, I fell in love with it. After talking it over with my brother, I decided that I was definitely leaving with this car. I ended up negotiating the owner down from his $3500 asking price to $2300, which was a great buy in my opinion. Here is the day I brought it home, July 15, 2013:



Even in the rain with near-bald tires, it handled great!

Specs and Problems:
The car is a 2001 2.5RS Black Diamond Pearl Sedan. It is a 5 speed and has 103k miles on it. It has a leaking head gasket and quarter panel rust (typical subaru problems). They are both problems that I want to get sorted out before they get worse. Also, the previous owner somehow went off the road and did some damage to the passenger side fender and door, both of which need to be replaced. The side skirt was also torn off, which needs to be replaced.









Future Pans/Mods
I don't plan on doing anything crazy with this car; I just want it to look good and drive even better. I am also on a budget, so here is the list of things I plan on doing to the car.

Engine:
  • Injen CAI
    Axle-Back Exhaust
    Headers
    Grimmspeed Lightweight Crank Pulley
    Kartboy Short Shifter
Interior:
  • New Shift Knob (old one is pretty beaten up)
    Nardi V. 2 JDM WRX Steering Wheel
Suspension:
  • KYB AGX Adjustable Struts
    H&R Lowering Springs
Exterior:
  • RS OEM Coupe Spoiler
    STI style Front Bumper Lip
    JDM Rear Spats
    Mud Flaps
    Wheels and Tires (not sure yet)
    STI Fog Light Covers
Possibles:
  • Yakima Roof Rack
    Light Bar w/ Rally Lights
This list will continually be updated and things will be removed added, or updated.
 

Attachments

See less See more
7
#3 ·
Damn, the rust and headgasket has gotta be squared away ASAP! From my experience with ignoring the important things on my 240sx and Civic back in highschool, they bit me back in the ass.

Also, I recommend you keep searching around for some inspiration before spending cash! Finalize plans so you don't keep buying things you'll get tired of :). I have an instagram page with a ton of GC's on them (93-01 Imprezas) called SubieRumble, you might find a lot of photos of builds you like: 301 Moved Permanently

Anyway, I would seriously get that rust fixed before it eats the entire panel, and the headgasket before the engine gets FUBAR'd hardcore. $2300 is actually quite a lot for that much rust and a headgasket issue, but im glad you didnt' spend $3000.

Best of luck with your build! :D
 
#5 ·
Also, I recommend you keep searching around for some inspiration before spending cash! Finalize plans so you don't keep buying things you'll get tired of :). I have an instagram page with a ton of GC's on them (93-01 Imprezas) called SubieRumble, you might find a lot of photos of builds you like: 301 Moved Permanently

Anyway, I would seriously get that rust fixed before it eats the entire panel, and the headgasket before the engine gets FUBAR'd hardcore. $2300 is actually quite a lot for that much rust and a headgasket issue, but im glad you didnt' spend $3000.
Thanks for the advice! They are the first things I planned on getting fixed actually, then the passenger side damage, then mods. I know it may seem like I overpaid a little, but I am able to get the work done cheap. One of my friends was flipping an e46 330ci a couple of weeks ago and I helped him out with some of the work, so he said he would fix the head gaskets for cheap. As for the rust, my brother just got into welding and has been doing body work for years now, so he agreed to sort out the rust. All in all, I could possible get all the work done for about $700-$800.

And as for the inspiration, I have been looking around these forums and various other social media pages, but I will definitely check yours out. I have a pretty good idea of what I want, but I like I said, the list will be continually changing, and its always good to have a fresh source of inspiration. Thanks again
 
#4 ·
Fix head gasket and rust first, skip the intake mods (little gains and add noise and loss of low end torque). If you plan to autocross, suspension first (rear sway bar) and then your struts. Exhaust and headers for the awesome rumble. Of course the fun cheap mods are ikea mudflaps (red or green only) or the home depot garbage bin flaps (black).
 
#6 ·
Pretty much what I was thinking. Definitely wanna get the head gasket and rust out of the way first. Never really thought intakes were worth it so it was low on my priority list. And I don't really plan on doing autocross, just want a reliable dd and maybe a car for some rally fun on the weekends :D. Don't want a loud car, just want to hear that nice 2.5 L n/a engine rumble. I was thinking about just getting the universal rally armor mudflaps and fitting them to my car. Cheap and do the job. Thanks for the response
 
#7 ·
Nice I just picked up a 97 black 4 door l with the rs front end. Black is a really good color for those cars. Rust isn't so bad to fix its the paint afterwords that's bad. Sherman Williams can paint match cars in aerosol can now BTW. Just make sure whoeveraprays it is good at it or it'll stick out like a sore thumb.
 
#14 ·
Update on the RS. It has been sold to a man in PA. I would have loved to finish the car but the rust underneath was too far gone for my budget to repair. Not sure what the new owners intentions are with the car but I'm almost certain it's now a parts car for his coupe. RIP GC6 :(
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top