Extremely poor milage on new used car purchased

Probably a MAF issue. Is the check engine light on? Any dark fumes or particulate coming out of the exhaust?

thanks! No check engine light. Will try to check exhaust in the morning (dark out now).

haha if it is burning that much gas, it means there is something wrong. Go to an authorized subaru dealer and have them run the vin, if it has ever been serviced it will show up through SOA. if you dont have experience working on cars, the best way to figure out whats wrong is to take it in and have someone else look at it. This is why i always test drive a car myself, and take it to a mechanic before you buy the car. good luck

It could be a very simple problem. I'm thinking either MAF sensor, O2 sensor(s), or both.

you must be one hell of a mechanic if you can say stuff like that without even seeing the car! ok einstein my car burns through about half a quart every 1000 miles, whats wrong with it?

That could be one of many problems. How many miles are on the car?

Just because the fuel gauge says that it used a quarter tank of gas doesn't mean it did. What is the capacity of the fuel tank? Did you do the math? Fill it up drive a measured distance Nd then fill it up again. Now do your math and see how many miles to the gallon you're getting. Then tell us what you're getti g. With that car I think you shod get around 22-26 mpg

It means there is nothing wrong! up to a quart of oil every 1k miles on subaru turbo engines, especially tuned ones, is completely normal!

i like to see you guyes bicker lol>

Sounds like that guy likes to bicker. I'm just trying to help. Oh, and by the way, 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles is not 'normal' by any means. Thats a clear and present issue. 1 quart every oil change (3-5K miles) is normal for our engines.

haha okay. and I do not like to bicker, just was wondering how Nostradamus over here can figure out whats wrong without looking. false information is worse than saying nothing or telling the guy to go get it checked out. Buuttt the guy I worked for over the summer (at the shop) was having a similar problem with his wifes mitsu montero, and he had to pull the engine apart and completely clean the carbon deposits off the engine and replace a few gaskets and fuel pump and clean the injectors. in a high mileage car it is a possibility, and if this guy doesnt know what his MAF is, it would be rather hard for him to diagnose a problem, am I wrong? All I was saying, is that if you really have no clue where to begin, then your best bet is having someone look at it who does, yeah it might end up being something simple, but it could end up being something bad too, that if overlooked could be catastrophic. just my 2 cents, do what you want

Keep patronizing me, I guess thats what I get for trying to help. The guy came here looking for help, and I offered my two cents. You want to know how I can figure out things without looking? God knows I've done it countless times before, hell I've diagnosed problems over the phone with a description as simple as the one given here. I gave the guy a starting point--always start with the simplest, cheapest possibility and work your way down the line. It is possible the car has the same problem you described, but theres no reason to crack the engine open and start wiping down the cylinder walls without checking some simpler possibilities first. All I'm describing is the same methodology the mechanic he takes it to is going to use.

dont take it personal, im only messin with ya.

I'm mildly annoyed at Ryan's responses, not yours.