06 Spec B needs new engine block - advice sought

[similone]

I have no mechanical knowledge, but I have an 06 Spec B and it's all I ever wanted.

 

Last week I took it in with some rattling as I slowed down and the mechanic at the dealer I use said it's burning oil and needs a new engine block. It was 1,000 miles before the next scheduled oil change and it had burnt all of the oil. I guess that was causing the rattling. I'm looking at $7K parts and labor to get a new engine block. I am inclined to have the job done as I love this car, but it's a lot of money and I am worried I may end up spending more and more just to keep it running.

 

It has 124,000 miles. A couple of years ago I had a new cylinder put in and have always kept up with regular maintenance - all done at the same place. The mechanic says the only other thing he noticed is that new brakes will be needed in a few months, but otherwise the transmission looks fine.

 

My fear is whether laying out that much money will be justified as this seems like a major problem to have at a relatively low overall mileage.

 

How much time might this buy me? What other big/expensive jobs might I be looking at down the road?

 

This is my daily commuter car and my wife (who has a Forester) is concerned that I am blinded by love of the car and should be considering getting another car. She will live with whatever I decide.

 

I know there is not necessarily a specific question here, it's hard to predict what might happen down the road. But thank you for any feedback as to whether doing this job will not buy me that much time before other expenses start to add up!

[Max Capacity]

I have over 56,000 miles on my ej257 at 21psi the engine runs great. Read my thread below.

 

You want a ej257, have your heads rebuilt. read to find other things you might want to have done while the engine is out.