BUY WITH CARE

Buy on the specific car, not the family reputation. The oil-consumption problem concentrates in the early class-action years and the extended coverage is long expired, so a used example has already shown its hand -- one with clean oil-change records that does not drop a measurable amount between changes is a fine buy, while one that is chronically low is a wallet problem. Federal complaints also undercount this: a slow oil burn is something owners take to the dealer or a forum, not to NHTSA, yet even that channel logged 205 oil-flagged engine complaints across the Outback, Legacy, Impreza, and Crosstrek, so true field incidence is higher.

Check — Weight the model's well-documented oil-consumption reputation, not just the federal counts: verify the oil level and change records, prefer a car with a documented Subaru oil-consumption test or ring/short-block work, and budget accordingly if its history is unknown.