Oil Smoke Test

Get an emissions test?

Take a glass of ice water, and hold it in the exhaust stream. If you get a lot of condensation, then it's just that - water. If it doesn't condense, then you're burning something else (most likely oil, though oil tends to have a bluish tint to it when burned). Does it go away once the engine's warmed up?

However, if you smell it, and it smells like anti-freeze, that's a big problem. With the vehicle cold, remove the radiator cap, and start it up. Look for bubbles coming up through the coolant. Bubbles=blown head gasket.

My guess it it's just water vapor condensing in the cooler air.

I went back out and started the engine after we drove it from my daughter's apartment to here, about 15 minutes. There was nothing visible from the exhaust stream this time. On the way here it seemed like a lot though.

Thanks for the test suggestion. That makes a lot of sense. I will try that this afternoon when I get some time to work on it.

If this is something new, I'd get a pressure test done just to be safe.

pressure test on what? compression tests won't show oil rings or valve stem seals into the combustion chamber. I'm not sure what to get a pressure test on exactly.

Cooling system. If you are getting a what you believe to be a abnormal amount of vapor from your exhaust, you can help find or eliminate one of the source's by a testing your cooling system.