Why you shouldn t buy this car: For oxymoronic minivan enthusiasts in search of practicality, handling, refinement and resale value, the similarly accelerative Honda Odyssey rules (just make sure you can get comfortable in the driver s chair). All the other people carriers boast more user-friendly, versatile interiors; some offer four-wheel-drive as well. And the Quest is the only example with a wacky cockpit.

Why you should buy this car: If you need a minivan, the Quest isn t slow and it gets the job done with a bit of verve and steadfast reliability. More importantly, you can pick-up a pampered, two-year-old, fully-loaded Quest GLE for under $20k. That s a whole lot of van for the money.

Suitability Parameters:
· Speed Merchants: No
· Fashion Victims: No
· Treehuggers: No
· Mack Daddies: No
· Tuner Crowd: No
· Hairdressers: No
· Penny Pinchers: Yes
· Euro Snobs: No
· Working Stiffs: Yes
· Technogeeks: No
· Poseurs: No
· Soccer Moms: Yes
· NASCAR Dads: No
· Golfing Grandparents: No

Vitals:
· Manufacturer: Nissan
· Model tested: Quest SE
· Model year: 2005
· Price as Tested: $37,300 Engine type: 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve six
· Horsepower: 240hp @ 5800 rpm
· Torque: 242ft-lb @ 4400 rpm
· Redline: 6500 rpm
· Wheels and Tires: Goodyear Eagle LS2, P225/60HR-17
· Drive type: front wheel drive
· 0 - 60: 8.2 seconds
· 1/4 mile: 16.5 sec @ 85 mph
· Top speed: 126 mph
· Fuel economy city/highway: 20/20
· NHTSA crash test rating front/side/rollover: 5/5/4
[by Robert Farago]

Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2005 Nissan Quest 3.5 SE, Part 1, Part 2 [internal]