Careful with the "steam out the exhaust" theroy. It's an easy one for some to jump the gun with. Exhaust pipes pick up a lot of moisture as they cool off; some more than others. As it heats up, that moisture will steam off. It can take some time for the exhaust to (dry out compleatly and) clear up. It just depends... look at other cars as they drive out of your neighborhood in the mornings.
Also, if you run less than :30 (give or take a little), it may never have time to clear. In winter, that little bit of leftover moisture can freeze and take even longer to melt and then steam off. This is the very activity that used to cause exhaust systems to rust-out in just a couple of years--driving the auto companies to go to stainless systems.
Usually (my experience) blown gaskets are gonna cause you to run rough (like maybe need a tune-up), barely run, or not run at all. A cracked head can act the same. But water will not really "pour" or "spill" out.
I stick with the basics of a "tuned engine" approach. If it's running rough, I'll investigate that; codes, check ignition, etc. If it's loosing coolant (and this could be a very little bit too), I'll look for leaks while hot (under pressure) and if it doesn't show, a cold pressure (pump it up) radiator test. There's also the compression test.
Check the coolant level in the overflow bottle at the same time on a periodioc basis. For example, every saturday morning before starting it to get a "cool" level check and once or twice a week as soon as you get home from work for a "warm" level check. That is how I got to know my cooling system. If something changes, I know about it.
I drive hard too at times, and on cold damp mornings, I'll get steam for quite a while some days. But my engine runs smooth and gets ok MPG.
For what it's worth, I (my wife did it) blew the head gasket and cracked the head on this thing. When that happened it ran like crap but had to be towed.
