Poor 99 Corolla Blows a head gasket

Jessica loves her car - it's really not her car, but it is the car we let her drive to seminary, school, practice, games and work so that we don't have to drive her.    

About a month ago Mark added oil to the car (he has to do this every so often since it's an older car - 1999).  

Today we took her car into the Pennzoil shop for a oil change, as usual.  When the tech opened the hood he said, do you know there isn't an oil cap on your engine.

"WHAT!!!" Betsy exclaimed!  "This is very bad news!, oh my gosh!"  We both (Mark and I) hopped out of the car to see with our own eyes.  The cap was gone, oil marks were splattered all over the engine area.  What a mess, plus the question remained, "What damage has been done to the engine?"

Luckily there is a Track Auto down the street so Mark quickly ran down the street and purchased an engine cap.  We had the oil change completed and then took the car to Ken Towery to be evaluated.  It took them all day to call us back, only to tell us that the head gasket is blown and the engine needs replacing!  Oh my goodness!

This was not part of the plan.  This car was supposed to make it two more years!  Jessica would leave it for Devon and Devon would drive it until he left for college.  WOW!  What a blow.  Now we have to evaluate our options and determine the best thing to do.

Options include:
1)  don't replace the car until Devon earns his license, but that leaves Jessica without a car for 6 weeks before she goes to college.
2)  trade the car in now, but that's a large expense that we hadn't budgeted for until 2013.
3)  continue to let Jessica drive it until it completely won't drive any more and then trade it in for a car
4)  continue to let Jessica drive it until it completely dies and then purchase a car from the mission office.

Cars are so expensive, plus college payments are due!  When it rains it pours - however - I am not complaining.  I am so grateful it was Mark and I that found out, and that the car didn't cease up on Jessica while she was driving.  We are so grateful the car made it through her senior year.  It's been a great little car for us - Jessica will be so disappointed not to have her car!  Daddy will be so disappointed that it didn't last two more years.