Engine trouble Subaru Impreza 2008

Have you ruined your engine? Probably. One must be vigilant in keeping the oil topped off on vehicles that consume oil. A rebuild will likely cost several thousand dollars.

I could see it being 2-5k. Big range because you'd be better off trying to find a used engine and doing some maintenance on it and maybe being in the 2-3k range for that. If rebuild require a new crank, one or several rods / pistons, cams, other parts (new?) or trying to repair said parts ($$$) the tab will be interesting. I wouldn't drive it anymore for fear of worsening the damage. Was your engine also leaking oil?

ha.. you must have answered right after I clicked on this Bob. cheers

No it was not leaking oil. The oil light never came on and neither did the hot engine light (my car has no temp gauge on the dash). I had it looked at and the bottom of the engine needs redone and while he's in there he'll do the head gaskets since its a Subaru and why not...It's going to cost me about $3,000 to fix, which is just awful...what a stupid mistake. I'm not usually so flaky, but you guys were right...I recently had the timing belt done and had the valve covers replaced last summer. The only issue I was aware of was a leaking steering column that I would top off occasionally until I got around to getting it fixed - never checked the oil when I did that...so stupid :(

So the question also remains, why wasn't the oil low. Can you request a leak down to see if it needs rings? If it needs to be bored over you would need new pistons but it's kind of running the same risk of failure again if you're burning all that oil out anyway.

Scratched the whole 'fix the engine idea,' will be replacing the engine after my mechanic looked over it thoroughly and we discussed options/risks. I still dont know why it was burning oil or where it could have been leaking from - there was no puddle in my parking space, I had no idea something was amiss.

car-part.com should help you find an engine and be sure to look under the valve cover for cleanliness. gold is good. dark is.. well, could last for a while. Mileage isn't everything. Once you know the weaknesses of the cars/engines, you know what to look for and how to negotiate and not get taken for your money. Also try to get a decent warranty from the seller of said engine. I imagine your price might come down. Also have your mechanic look at your current engine and verify what wore out during your oil loss and (if you have room) I'd spray them with WD and wrap in saran wrap parts like the heads. You could keep all your sensors, injectors, throttle body, and other extras that are costly to replace later.