I have a family member who bought a new subaru legacy and when riding in it, especially in the back seat, you can feel the car shake back and forth when making a turn and bounce if you go over a pot hole. It is quite uncomfortable to ride in for this reason. Does anyone know what might be wrong? They brought it back to the dealer who said they didn’t find anything wrong with it, but mentioned that maybe adding a swaybar might help, but then backed out of actually installing it.
I doubt a sway bar would make any difference.
First thing to check - take a good quality tire gauge and check the tire pressures first thing in the morning. It’s not uncommon for dealers to deliver new cars with overinflated tires.
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I have checked the tire pressure it was normal.
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Next thing I would do is ask to test drive an identical car from the dealer, see if it rides the same. If it does, that may just be how they ride.
They didn’t get optional tires/wheels with extra low profile tires, did they?
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They got the normal tires and wheels that came with the car.
“Normal”, as in the pressures specified on the placard attached to the driver’s door jamb?
Or “normal” as in the maximum pressure that is listed on the sidewall of the tire?
All too many people mistakenly use the maximum pressure listed on the tire’s sidewall, and that leads to problems with both ride quality and handling on wet surfaces.
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thats a good one. they got the normal tires that came with the car. kinda like being asked how you doing? and you respond about the same as always. which means what? you need to add about 540lbs of sand bags in the rear.
Did the dealer make sure the shipping blocks were removed from the rear springs?
Sometimes car makers insert spring blocks so damage to the car doesn’t occur during shipping… and then the dealer forgets to remove them.
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Yup!
My Chevy Citation was delivered to me with 50+ lbs of pressure in each tire.
The original low rolling resistance tires! 
Normal tires ? The Legacy seems to have 17 inch alloys on the lower models and 18 inch alloys on the higher models. The vehicle could have 40 or 45 series tires. I wonder what the previous vehicle was and if that has any bearing on the ride perception.
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It also makes me wonder if the purchaser took an adequately-long test drive in the demonstrator vehicle.
The problem is that you’re in the back seat… 
Seriously, an antisway bar probably won’t help the problems you describe. Sway bars reduce body roll in corners and enhance stability on the highway, especially from crosswinds. They don’t reduce shaking or bouncing going over potholes. They’re attached to the rear axles using “links” with ball joints on each end, such that they only help the rolling between the body and the axles, and do nothing for lateral movement of the unibody.
I think the comments about the prior car having a different ride (one more acceptable to you) are probably appropriate… but I also think rear seats on these cars are designed for the kids, and kids don’t need rides as comfortable as adults… well, at least adults past middle age.
If your family member wants to try a new sway bar to attempt a more comfortable ride for you, perhaps you’d pay for the cost? It might, and I emphasize might improve the rear seat ride around corners a bit for you by reducing body roll, but don’t get too optimistic. They’re not designed for the conditions you describe.