More like the previous owner didn't take care of the car. Look at the current owner's distance when acquired and the current distance. The current owner has only had it 2,000 miles. So I'd definitely say it was the previous owner's fault.

This is simply a situation of someone not properly taking care of the car before you. Broken vents? That doesn't happen, that's simply carelessness on someones part. These cars eat about a quart of oil in between changes, its the very reason they take 7 quarts instead of five. Most newer cars eat a quart of oil in between changes. That's why most newer cars take 6 quarts, and not five. This is simply for engine efficiency reasons. No need to replace pistons, they dealer is trying to drain you wallet, to put it simply. All you need to do every once in awhile is a wide open throttle. If your dealer was honest, they would have told you this. Struts went out at 85,000? More proof of carelessness. My '97 has 185,000 miles, its just needing struts, and there original. Your car is just suffering from abuse from the past, that is all.

With these Northstar engines, you cannot baby it like an 80-year-old driver would. These engines are designed to be run at red line; they are performance engines. The engine oil consumption is very common for engines which have not been driven hard enough. Also, babying the engine can allow carbon deposits to form at the top of the cylinders, causing a cold knock sound. By redlining the engine, you blow out the carbon, re-seat the piston rings, etc. The way to prevent all of this is to get on the highway in second gear, and then do a wide open throttle acceleration to 70MPH. Repeat about 10 times. After doing this procedure once a week or so, your oil consumption should drop dramatically. These engines are not to be babied! Beat them up once in a while.