My '89 Civic hatchback has been acting a little weird. It starts fine on the first try but will not start again once turned off. The engine turns over but will not catch. This ends up kiling the battery. Once the engine catches white smike poours out of the exhaust and the car runs very rough developing little power. The car also smells of gas. I have checked the distributor and it does not seem to be cracked. I also have noticed an increased oil consumption.

Could it be the head or bottom gasket? Or a piston ring problem?

Thanks

Sounds like a head gasket problem. White smoke is probably from coolant. Run a compression check on each cylinder. Pay attention to how pressure builds or doesn't build. Low pressure on two adjacent cylinders is likely a leaking head gasket.