And it takes a lot more than really low oil to seize the engine. We ran our '95 850 5 quarts low for several weeks at around 110,000 miles on the odo. Low enough that the low oil light would come on when you made a tight turn. Engine's still fine 20K later, though it does still mysteriously lose oil, about a quart between oil changes. Dealership says compression is good, and we don't leave oil on the ground. We'll see how far it goes. I thought the engine was going to be toast.

And no, I'm not recommending running your car with less oil than the factory says.