RIP “Rusty” 1985-2010

Note: I DON’T own this car, I’m just the messenger. Hearing about this news obviously had a big impact towards me.
Some might think, “It’s just a car bro.”
Others might say, “That rusty hipster piece of shit impacted you?”
This car is still a conversation piece and it obviously changed the way we view on how we tune. Sure, Volkswagens started the trends. So what? You want a cookie? If other cars do it, its sacrilege? Someone has to push boundaries sometime. Isn’t that what tuning is about? Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Most of it is subjective perspective anyways.

RIP Rusty, you’re the reason I joined this site. Your rusty bodywork is the reason I’m unafraid of taboo, your tight stance is the reason I will push boundaries, and your hard-ass road trip will always inspire me to roll hard. -Guy-Bert

Mike credits this car for many of the friendships he now has. And I think we can all relate. Take your cars away. Take away the people you’ve met because of your cars. What are you left with? For me personally, that is most of friends. They’re all somehow related or intertwined with cars. But from another aspect, take away the experiences. The road trips. The wrench days. The photo-shoots. The nights you’ve spent standing in a parking lot freezing your ass for hours just to talk to these people. You’re not left with much. There is something about it that I can never manage to put into words. Whether or not you want to admit it, these cars are a huge part of our lives. -thatskinnykid

The Original Thread by M.Burroughs.

Well, I don’t want to be “that” guy… the one who is too attached to a car for his own good. The one who actually cares about his car, and in a sense more than “I don’t want to curb a wheel”, or “don’t nick my paint”…. but honestly, I am that guy.

We all have cars that we consider “our baby”… and for me, that has always been my e36. I bought the e28 as a replacement for a daily driver.

I didn’t know getting in to it that this e28 was going to become such a part of who I am. I changed the way I look at cars. It changed the way that people look at me. To many it was just another car on the bandwagon… and that’s cool with me… but I never expected my car to become a conversation piece…. something to be argued over for pages and pages, month after month across the web. A magazine feature? Two? I had ever in my wildest dreams thought it would happen… after all, it was just a car.

Most of you know that about a year ago, I lent the car to a friend…. Back then, it was a solidly clean car, with no real flaws… until it was abruptly stopped by a semi truck, resulting in not only the A-pillar damage that you still see today, but a crushed front end that I put back together using a parts car I had at the time.

That accident was the rebirth of my car. I marked a moment in time where it went from an asset to a canvas. I had no excuse not to go “all the way” with it… and so I did. Okay, yeah, cool, I rusted a car. A lot of other people have too, and we all know that.

Rusty was more than just a hipstermobile to me though. Rusty honestly led me to some of the greatest friendships I have today… scratch that.. ALL of the friendships I maintain today have some rooting involved with this stupid car. It’s done more than drive me coast-to-coast, it has never let me down during any of it. This car is a champ- and I beat the hell out of it too.

Honestly, if it wasn’t for Rusty, this site wouldn’t be here. It simply wouldn’t exist.

I’m going on and on about stuff and haven’t really given any info yet, so I’ll explain it the best I can.

Ever since the accident a year ago, the front driver’s side tire has worn a bit differently than the others. The clearance to the fender was a little different than before, but nothing to alarm me. After all, this car was deemed “totaled”.

It wasn’t until last week that I took the car to a friend’s shop, and while there, and inspecting the car for the first time, we realized that the frame up there is tweaked. Hard.

I brushed it off as if it were nothing. Honestly, I didn’t care in the least…
but after close inspection, the body has been cracking a bit, and its starting to separate.

I wanted to ignore it.
I really, really wanted to ignore it.
Bad.

I said to myself “it’s been fine all along, It’l be fine. I’ll drive it until it falls apart”.

A few days ago, my best friend slipped through my hands, so to speak. Gracefully sliding my way over a speed bump, shit went to hell.

I don’t really know what else to say right now. I towed her home one last time. The motor comes out tomorrow- it’s going to Nic and Steph for the Bavaria build. Webb is taking the suspension for his car. The wheels will go into storage until another day, down the road when I feel like a car is worthy of following up Rusty’s footsteps.

I’m depressed over this. Best car I’ve ever owned. Hand down.
There’s a constant joke going on among friends that I owe this car for everything its done for me… and its true.

I made a video today. It’s lame, but I wanted to do one last “shoot”.

So here it is- Rusty, this one’s for you.

Iteration History after the jump.