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February 2015 - Janner

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    Posted: 24 Jan 2015 at 3:28am

Congratulations on winning February 2015 MOTM Keith! How does it feel to be our exclusive Member Of The Month and having your name up in lights?

I’m totally blown away to be honest, I never deemed any of my cars to be worthy and I never thought I’d see the day as I’m constantly changing bits ‘n’ pieces to my Ginga (known as 701), trying to get it where I want it but that day may never come haha!

We’d love to find out about you the person. Please tell us about yourself and what you get up to, away from the NPOC.

Apart from work and spending quality time with my crazy broken family and tinkering with 701, I’m really into Science, Quantum Physics, Pre-History and at the moment I am “Breaking Bad” mad, totally obsessed! I’ve just watched the complete series in 10 days!

I know it’s been a while now but can you remember how you found the NPOC forums and are we any good? Would you happily recommend the club to other Nissan Primera owners?

I once stumbled upon another Primera club called “Pure P10” and on there was a guy called Rob (Modsman on here) and we PM’d each other a lot and he told me about a bigger and better magical Nissan Primera wonderland called “NPOC”, so I joined up and I was blown away by how many members there were, roughly 9,000 back then in 2007 I think and I have never looked back. There are so many great, honest, kind, giving and funny crazy characters here, I love it! Every opportunity I get I flyer a Nissan Primera with some NPOC flyers I have printed out, or If I get the chance I’ll tell them face to face about the club.

Your join date from your profile shows July 2007! Which means you have now completed over 7 years of NPOC Membership - Respect and well done! What keeps you coming back and signing in every day here?

All sorts really, various garage projects, general banter, info I need to sort an issue with my car, car bits for sale, selling Primera bits and pieces and just seeing what peeps are up to. There’s plenty to do here, even when I was Primeraless for a while and driving the Nissan Largo Bus, I still logged in most days as NPOC is very infectious to most.

Now we know your current car is a Nissan Primera P11 GT in lovely Ginger and we’ll get into that a bit later but until then, I’ve been dying to find out what gems you have owned during your car ownership history. Now we’ve all known you for 7 years now and know you’ve had a few Primeras in this time, so keep this list as NON Primeras and we’ll look at the Primeras later.. So what else have you owned since you started driving and got any piccies anywhere?

Technically since only passing my driving test in 2006 (yes 2006 LOL), my first car was a 1993 Nissan Primera P10 2.0 SLX, prior to that though there were 3 cars I had bought to learn to drive in:

1987 Seat Ibiza 1.4 (Porsche system)

1988 Rover Metro 1.1 Auto

1988 Red Ford Escort xr3i convertible

My Dad would take me out at weekends up to Dartmoor to learn to drive.

In between my Primera ownership in one of the below questions, I also owned a Nissan Largo 2.0 TD SXG.

What was your favourite out of all of them and why and any you really regretted letting go?

Dare I say it but the Ford, simply because it was so shiny and rust free and all original too. I thought it was the muts nuts right up until my first Primera experience, thanks to my Paps!

So bringing us into the Nissan Primera era (happy days!!) But sticking with the cars “you have owned, which you no longer own”.. Give us a list and any specs you can remember please matey, oh and hopefully you have some photos stashed away too, oh and we’re not gonna look at Ginge in this one either.. She’s coming shortly!

Well as I’ve mentioned above, my first legally owned Nissan Primera with a licence was Dads old Primera, he was only getting rid because he wanted a BMW M5, up until then all his bikes and cars had been pretty much Jap, including a Datsun Cherry, Nissan Sunny hatch and Nissan Sunny saloon, anyhow.. My first Primera was a white 1993 P10 SLX, initially I wasn't keen on the looks but after a test drive I fell in love with it, the way you just point and go really kicked the xr3i’s butt LOL.

Specs / Mods on the white P10 2.0 SLX:

16” Wolf Race alloys.

Colour coded dash and centre console.

Modified standard grille to an open mouth grille.

Universal induction cone filter.

Then along came FFS, a 1999 P11 GTLE in black. What a beauty she was and did me well too, I loved her so much I owned her twice! I sold her to get something bigger (the Largo)..

After splitting with the wifey I managed to buy FFS back from a friend YAY!

I also bought a cobalt blue P10 Primera 2.0 SRi which looked stunning but boy was she rusty underneath and I started a project to try and save her, not having a garage at the time and borrowing friends and relatives garages I ran out of time and no place to keep her, so had to cave in and scrap her sadly.. RIP bluey!

Specs / Mods on FFS the black P11 1999 GTLE:

Lowered 40mm on standard shocks.

17” Wolf Race Bushido alloys with a yellow pin stripe, wrapped in Pirelli P Zero’s.

JDM P11 saloon spoiler.

Universal induction cone filter.

JDM headlights.

Nissan wind deflectors.

Timing advance to 17*.

Black aftermarket rear light clusters.

Chrome dash dial rings.

MOMO foot pedals.

MOMO seat belt pads.

Yellow front strut brace.

Yellow NPOC stickers.

Tinted wing repeaters.

Full body prep and respray in Rustoleum Satin Black.

Isotta floor mats.

Have you got a favourite out of the “previously Primera owned” list above and why?

I loved them all very much for their own individual characteristics but FFS was my one and only, tis such a shame I never got to quite finish the project! So much time and effort went into her but it is what it is and I have learned a valuable lesson, which is “always make sure you have enough oil before going for a lengthy spirited drive”!

What got you into a Nissan Primera to start with, was it on the list of cars to own back in the day, or a chance encounter?

Well as much as I was into cars from about 5 years old and enjoying designing my own on paper, it was just that growing up in the 90s as a teenager, college friends, parties and clubbing diverted me from things, like the BTCC, so I missed the Primeras BTCC days but luckily my Dad had taste in Jap Cars and when it came time for him to sell, he asked me first if I wanted his white Primera, unsure we went for a spin and wow I was sold and the love affair began!


All this talk about the Primeras, let’s find out more about yours please matey! Let’s see some photos of your Ginger P11 GT and tell us all about the spec and all the goodies she has:

Lowered 40mm front only (for now).

17” Bushido Wolf Race alloys.

Momo gear knob.

JDM headlights.

Aftermarket black rear clusters.

Nissan wind deflectors.

Tinted wing repeaters.

Dark bronze dash and gear surround.

Chrome dash dial rings.

Universal induction cone filter.

Hand made induction pipe.

Isotta floor mats.

Orange LED map lights.

Orange LED side lights.

Twin rear fog conversion.

What’s your favourite thing / part about the GT?

The Ginger colour is stunning on a sunny day, people do ask how much the custom paint cost haha, but overall and like any Primera, it’s the awesome handling and driveability – It’s such a pleasure to drive slow or fast!

One of the things I like about you, is your passion for keeping your Nissan Primeras on the road and going, you’re very hands on with maintenance and repairs. What would be the final straw, to see you and the car part company?

Well to be honest I often think of getting something newer but there simply (for me), just isn’t anything that matches the Primera. Its character ticks a lot of boxes, so to divert to something inferior makes no sense at all.

I will keep going for as long as I can and as long as I plan ahead and keep an eye on the rust zombies, I see no reason why I would quit the Primeras. I also like the fact that they’re becoming rare and some people have thought that FFS and Ginge were a BMW (WTF!?).

It’s nice to have something different and I don’t like mainstream and don’t like to copy, I like to be individual and the longer I keep 701 the more she will change. A turbo or VVL conversion/swap will deffo be on the cards.

You really don’t know how much grief I get from the missus about “it’s old, it failed the MOT, it’s rusty and so on” LOL but how reliable are these cars! Compared to todays standards they’re super reliable! Most cars I see broken down on the side of the road are just a few years old and it’s shocking.

Is there anything you’d never take on or attempt, when it comes to car mechanics or repairs and what’s your spanner rating from 1 - 5?

Well I have recently moved house and now have no garage, so I gave away a lot of tools and car parts and some went to the dump too, so this now limits me to what I can do myself.

I rate myself a 7/10 for experience and 10/10 for ingenuity haha! I should have been an engineer LOL. I’m always thinking outside the box on how to solve a problem.

With time and money I’d love to strip and rebuild an SR20. Prior to moving I had the garage and the time but not the money, now I have no garage so this dream will have to wait for the future.

I like to do as much as I can with the tools I have, failing that my brother in law reluctantly will help out, although he doesn’t like Primeras very much!!

Time for the quick fire question round!

What makes you smile? 

My kids being silly.

What makes you sad? 

War.

Tell us something we don't know about you..

I once lived in NW1 in London, in a mansion apartment and was chauffeur driven to school every day in a stretched Mercedes.

Your favourite colour? 

Blue.

Your lucky number? 

7.

What will it say on your gravestone?

About bloody time.

Your favourite drink (any)? 

Jack Daniels and Coke.

Your sub £10K second hand dream car would be? 

Maybe...Skyline R33 GTST.

Your sub £30K second hand dream car would be? 

I’m so fussy you wouldn’t believe, I have no answer for this question LOL.

If you could steal the keys to someone else’s car (on NPOC) for 1 day, which car would you steal and why? 

This really is a tough one... Ummm… Has to be essNchills Pinky P11 because of its pinkness and sweet alloys, it’s a real head turner and looked great in that Fast Car magazine photo. Failing that, Big Rich’s (Mad Maru) Nordic beast – I’d love to experience that much power in a Nissan Primera! Both pictured below:

You’ve shown up at a few club meets over the years (respect!), do you have a “best meet ever” out of those, tell us which one was memorable and why?

I think my most memorable was Japfest 2008, as it was my first meet with any club members and I was really bricking it LOL! To break the ice with all these lovely people I decided to bring 100ish goody bags, consisting of 1 x bottle of coke, 1 x packet of crisps, 1 x chewing gum and 1 x chocolate bar - I was a manager in a food warehouse, so managed to get it at a lot less than cost price haha. It was also a great way to meet and talk to every single member who attended that day!

Tell everyone who has never come out and joined us at a Club Meet, why they should..

You don’t know what you’re missing out on, these club meets help fuel the club spirit and keep the flame alive! It’s so nice to meet members who you’ve been messaging for months or years and forming a bond.

NPOC means so much to so many people. It’s not just about the cars, it’s about us as human beings collectively interacting about things in common, things we like sharing and personal experiences. To find this at this level is quite rare for a “car club”, you won’t regret it and how often do you get to meet someone in person, that you can talk about your Primera to, without them falling asleep standing up LOL?

You West Coast cider drinking farm type, used to have regular regional club meets and gooduns too but it’s been fair to say, that in the last year or so, you lot have all been staying at home!! What’s going on?

Well in the early days it was pretty much just me from this neck of the woods, so as the West Country posse grew, I used to suggest meets and we’d have regular meets but since the West Country members have diminished a bit (sadly), it seems to have died off! I’ve been keeping an eye out for a regional club meet since last January, so it looks like I need to start arranging the meets again... Watch this space!!!

So over 7 years of NPOC membership Keith, is there a defining club memory in that lot somewhere?

So many memories and good times! Ya crazy bunch of fools!

NPOC for life (regardless of what car you own and drive) or leg it when you change car?

NPOC for life you know it! I’ve been Primless and never left this place, after all it’s a community about people first, then their cars. Soooo many great people here, it’s like family!

Tell Carlos Ghosn why he needs to bring back the Nissan Primera brand:

A hybrid version of the P10 / P11 with the same driving experience and handling is really needed for those, who know what they like and like to have a sporting drive to work, or on a weekend. Unfortunately most people haven't got a clue and just see a car as a car to get from A to B and just follow suit with everyone else.

Currently there is a big gap in the market and I feel a new modern version of the Nissan Primera will fill this void. But sadly I feel this isn't in Nissan's Interest at the moment but if they know what’s good for them, they will reintroduce a new Primera and get it back into the next available BTCC!

Member Of The Month is all about highlighting the unsung / unknown heroes around this club and also their cars, should they be driving a Nissan Primera. You’ve been here for years now and you’re a colourful character both online and at our Club Meets - Thank you Keith! With my thanks out of the way, it’s over to you to see us out.. Congratulations once again for winning Member Of The Month for February 2015! Please end this feature, in your own words and feel free to thank anyone who’s made this one possible.

Well thank you to the Staff Team and thank you to everyone in the club, you all add your individual spark and colour which keeps this place alive!

I just thought I’d mention the few constants in my NPOC life over the last 7 years, they have been “essNchill”, “ragt20”, “Modsman”, “prim-n-proper”, “RS Tom-Hundred”, “Mad Maru”, “Grim”, “dysopath”, “Taz Taylor” and “primera dave” - Thank you guys, you’re all absolutely amazeballs x 10!

Congratulations once again to Keith!

February 2015 MOTM - Janner

Written by essNchill

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