ok i got a 91 hatch from a buddy of mine.. it burns oil thru the gears 1-3.. i know that it could be a number of things thats the reason for it burning oil.. but im not good with mechanics. audio is more my thing. someone told me it could need a head gasket replaced.. is that costly? or whatelse could it be.. since i dont know where to start to fix the issue, and i hate ball bustin mechanics that rip me off, i need a list of things to work with.. so i need all you car junkies to help me out with this one.. what could the problem be?

oil is all black, drained it and put new oil in. still smokes.