Bought a 1998 toyota celica with 157,000 miles for 4,000. 2 months later, cam and shaft oil leak, valve cover oil leak, something wrong with distributor, not sure. cost to repair, 955.00. should i fgix it and sell it

Your valve cover gasket needs replacing

That would depend on the sales contract. If you bought the car "as-is" with no written warranty, the dealer is not legally responsible.
You could always ask for help in paying for the repairs.

i dont know how much that is as i am in the uk.
i would check around and call a couple off garages and see how much they would charge you.

These engines do have chronic oil leaks onto the exhaust, hence the burning smell. When cam cover gaskets are replaced it is best to use the genuine Toyota parts, they seem to have some quality which lasts better.

Other places which leak are the distributor shaft o-ring seal, and crankshaft nose seal, behind the timing belt sprocket. These can be replaced. The crankshaft rear main seal will leak, but is expensive, so just leave it.

There can be alot of causes, such as valve covers leaking, oil pan gasket leaking, oil filter leaking, rear main seal leaking, front timing chain cover seal or gasket leaking even bad rings. Does it smoke out of the back? Your valve seals could be leaking. Best way to find out if you have a leak is to inspect the valve covers manually, or take newspapers and lay them under the entire engine on the ground, and it will leave the tell tale stain of a leak. Hope this helps.

Check your sump nut, oil pressure switch, oil filter .are they secure .another clue is look for oil marks around the engine bay.

If you haven't had the timing belt replace (60,000 miles is the suggested service intervale) this is an overlap of having the timing belt replaced.
If the timing belt is not due for replacement and its the cam shaft seal that is leaking. Its a pretty easy fix. Remove the top timing belt cover , and the crankshaft sensor wiring you may have to remove the front engine mount . Set #1 piston at TDC, Loosen tensioner w/ spring slip off belt. **Remove sprocket pull out old seal with a sharp pick. Greese and install new seal make sure its flush with its bore . Reistall sprocket. Slide belt over Cam sprocket tighten tensioner. Install cover and mount (if applicable) Check timing marks by turning crank two revolutions.
** If CamSprocket Bolt is difficult to remove then remove valve cover and use a 21mm wrench to hold the Camshaft while you crack off Cam Sprocket Bolt.
You will see the groves on the Camshaft where you can place a wrench to hold the shaft.
After you replaced the seal replace the valve cover gasket ONLY IF YOU HAD TO REMOVE THE COVER TO HOLD THE CAM WHILE REMOVING ITS BOLT.

This is about as major as it gets.

Usually no there is not another size gasket but make sure that you have the correct eng. size and whether the car is EPA or California emissions some toyota parts for some reason depend on this information.

I've done one of these before. Most likely you'll have to remove the head and replace some valves. There was a piston to valve collision. By the time you spend the money fixing the engine you could have bought a good used replacement engine. Parts are going to be the pain in the rear. The valves, for example, are coming from the Phillippines. You're better off finding a good used engine.