Oh what a feeling! Our 3rd quest

One of neighbors was down her luck, her husband had left and her life was in shambles. To top all that off, her van (91 Plym. Voyager) needed a transmission. So, I offered to sell her my old 93 Quest with 121K miles for what she could afford monthly. Then I went van shopping, Seeing as I kept a fleet of about 8 cars for my family and I to drive (now up to about 10), I knew I wanted a van. After looking at Hondas Odyssey, Chrysler Voyager/Dodge Caravan, Ford Windstar and Sienna..I went to the Nissan place and drove a new quest home. It was the right choice in my book. Our van now has about 100K and has had a few issues (a/c and check engine light), but nothing to terrible. Ours is an SE with 16" wheels, sunroof, audiophile group and aftermarket leather (better than factory).. I paid $26,700 out the door.

What do I like?
A lot. I love the way it handles, it feels like your driving a car, a big sports car. It can take twisty roads at 50 mph and never loose grip. It doesn’t seem to be blown around in the crosswinds like some other vans.. The factory tires sucked and now I have a set of Khumo Ecusta’s and there are awesome. It rides like a big Lincoln or Cadillac, but without the queasy ride motions. I drove it to Las Vegas from Charlotte, NC recently and never one was uncomfortable. I can stop in about 165 feet with the abs brakes on slick wet pavement and in about 130 feet on dry pavement, not bad for a van of this size. The 3.3 V6 has ample oomph and using my cruise like I do I get 19/27 on mid grade gas (nissan’s seem to like midgrade best), about 15/24 on regular with slight spark knock. The transmission shifts well and never misses a beat and switching the overdrive off allows you to coast or climb up the steepest grades, great for travailing to our vacation home in Piney Flats, Tn. The seats rock. I had perforated leather installed at a cost of $1350 and it was well worth the price over the factory stuff. The seats in my van aren’t comparable to other quest vans, so I can’t really give fair judgement on the seats, except to say I hated the texture of the cloth seats. The a/c works well and cools the van down in no time. The stereo is great and being able to use the dual media function has worked well on trips (I have 6 kids and two vans and our caravan lacks this).. I sold the TV that came in mine, so that doesn’t apply here either. I love the huge sunroof and it helps circulation and such a lot (or removes smelly odors fast from young males). There is some wind noise, but nothing bad. The dual doors operate easily and make for a quick exit. There are a ton of cupholders and they all hold regular size cups, which is great for trips or that much needed morning cup of java.

What don’t I like?
The gold paint on the rims. I found a set without and replaced mine. How tacky! The engine could be quieter, esp. when accelerating. A removable 3rd row seat would be great. Oh and non leaking rear lights would help. Otherwise my pet peeves are minor and nothing worth noting.

I highly recommend this van to anyone looking for a decent van, that will last for 200K+ miles.