Most mods and No-CD patches require the game to be updated to the final official version, v1.3 .
If car interiors or backgrounds disappear, ensure you are using the v1.3 executable.
Yes. The search for a is the only way to keep this masterpiece alive on modern hardware. The old days of swapping CD 3 of 4 are nostalgic, but the practical reality is that optical media is dead.
You have the legal right to play the game you paid for. The restores that right.