So latly when I go to start my car (only if it has sat an extended period ex. over night) it blows smoke out the exhaust. it doesnt look good and I'm worried something needs to be done. I'm new to the car game and trying to self educate as much as possible. Can anyone give me an idea of what this could be?

My first thought is worn valve seals. Oil goes past the worn valve seal, drips onto the piston top and when you start the car out puffs some smoke. Generally there isn't much smoke and it should take more than 12 hours for a noticeable amount to leak past the seal.

Other then that it is just a worn out motor. When the engine is cold the clearances everywhere are larger and oil gets into the combustion chamber, the engine warms up and the clearances are reduced a bit.

A leak down test should point you in the right direction.

If its smoky all the time its rings.

 

If its a big problem when you start but once its up and running its not so bad it could be just valve stem seals. You may be able to have the head reconditioned and put it back on.

 

If its smoky on startup and while driving around then your top and bottom ends need fixing.