I'm not completely sold on the engine being designed poorly. I own two '99's and they do a quart every 2000 miles/each. Is that bad, and I'm running Mobil1? I believe the culprit is the PVC valve and oil filler gasket. By keeping these items under control and at spec the oil use problem is subdued. Give it a whirl and see what happens. Much cheaper than what you are talking about.