Oil leak, how bad could this be?

Is there blue smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe after it warms up and its going down the road ? Not knowing the mileage I would say to first start running a thicker oil (10 or 15W30) as it probably has a lot of miles on it. Keep a check on the oil level and see if the leak or just "burn off" still exists in a few days.

If you run out of oil and still drive it then it will be a major issue cause you'll blow the engine and basically total the car. If you can find the leak and fix it your self, then it'll be the cost of a gasket and an oil change and an afternoons work. under $100. If you pay someone to do it then it will be between $200- $800 depending on how hard the leak is to get at.

107,000 miles, I just put a quart of oil in and it is not registering on the dip stick. I see it travelling and dripping from underneath. This car showed no signs of a leak at the time on purchase on Sunday. I will take it in for service. I feel like I've been suckered into a lemon. I am a mom purchasing my son's first vehicle on very limited funds. I am so frustrated. The buy is not answering or returning calls.

A decent mechanic should be able to pinpoint it quick. It's probobly not that big a problem, and if its easy to get to the labor should be cheap. It sucks that this has happened, very frustraiting, but I wouldn't expect the buyer to help you out though, don't wast your time on that, it's a dead end. Just make sure you put some oil in it befor you drive it to a mechanic. Once you get a quote to fix it, then you can workout how to pay, but at least you'll know what you need. :(