1994 camry woes : brakes, engine noise, oil, smoke

[Esprit]

hi there i hope you guys here can be of help to me. i am no car mechanic nor do it yourselfer either i just know simple basic stuff. Also this my lil bro;s car so i hear all about this after it gets to the bad point and I'm left to figure out how to fix it.
Engine Issues;
ok heres the problem. bought 1994 camry in February with about 180 miles on it. its come to light no that the car was making this sound one time back then. we had the oil changed and the sound went away. any ways after that i noticed there was oil leak. any ways bout month later had to do the tires but while on the way there the car was running hot, stopped and oil shop , opened it up nothing in the radiator, filled it up and the gauge stayed in the middle. OK bout week ago check the oil and its low... i also smell it for some reason and it smells like gas and also it looks dark chalky..Wednesday this week go to start it and its making the noise again. don't drive it.that afternoon the car starts but its like puttering sound. Go get some oil put it in that after noon start the car and its still making the noise back it up a few feet and it dies and theres a flood of white smoke coming from the muffler. Start it up again and put it back parked. Any ideas what the problem may be??
I have gotten some input that it might be a blown head gasket. If so how much is it to replace them? is it better to replace that or just get rebuilt engine if at all possible??
Brakes.
after get the car a few weeks later the lil car light with the lines come on in the dashboard, i check all the lights in the back on the trunk. replace the bulbs. they all work. when the lights are on all of them are on. when you press the brake pedal the window light goes bright but not the ones on the trunk for stopping. few weeks back i check the fuses on the inside panel on the drivers side and they are all good none blown. last Friday i get a call i have to press the brakes all the way down to get anything. comes home we check the brake fluid and theres none in there. so go get some fluid for it put it in there step on the brake to get the air bubbles out it goes down some put some more in there so its at minimum line . Then monday of this week i have the hood up and the brake fluid is halfway below the minimum line. what may be causing the back brake lights in the trunk to not come on???

any other info would be greatly appreciated so when i go to mechanic shop i have some idea of what to say and don't get taken.
Thanks so much if you can help me out!!

[Kep]

I'm sorry to say but it sounds like you have a basket full of problems. By continuing to drive the car with low oil and low water you may have damaged the engine. A blown head gasket may have been the initial problem resulting in the loss of fluids. If it is just the head gasket I expect a good mechanic will cost plus or minus $1,000. Before you accept that repair check a few places for the cost of installing a used low milage engine. It might not be all that much more. It makes more sense if you are doing it yourself 'cause you would be more conscientious in checking out the replacement engine.

Don't know which error light you are referring to.

Two lights both exhibiting the same difficulty would likely be a shared wire with a bad connection or partially broken. Either way, tracking down electrical problems is usually a long process (read $$$ if you're paying a mechanic).

Driving with actively leaking brakes is asking for trouble. Find the problem and fix it!!! Plus, you have to bleed the brakes, not just pump them, in order to get trapped air bubles out. I reiterate, this is very dangerous.

Check out the prices of used Camrys. It might be cheaper to get another if you can't do these repairs yourself. But this time, run a CarFax and have a mechanic inspect it before you buy it.

Kep

[96CamrySport]

very good advice. exactly what I was going to say, except more lucid and sober. recommendation from an ASE certified technician: IF SOMETHING IS LEAKING, GET IT FIXED! IF YOU CAN'T, THEN KEEP IT TOPPED UP UNTIL YOU CAN!!!!!!! running out of either oil or coolant = toasted engine and an expensive decision. running out of brake fluid = death for you or someone else. seriously.

my SISTER knows how to check her own oil and coolant and brake fluid, and when to ask for help. Either toss the car or get a professional evaluation - it should only cost 1 hour of shop time.