Exhaust

White smoke is a sign of burning engine coolant, typically from a corroded cylinder head gasket. The car can be driven short distances as long as the engine doesn't overheat. Overheating can cause a cylinder head to warp or crack and will turn the repair into a more expensive one.

Is this car turbocharged? A leaking turbo coolant gasket /seal can cause the same problem (white smoke) and the turbo version of these cars will tend to have that problem from time to time.