I would think if it were rings you'd get plenty of smoke when the engine is loaded as opposed to idle/start-up.

I did my seals in Oct. Most noticable smoking problem was with the engine warm, coming to a stop, idling for a while, step on it...poof - big cloud of blue smoke.

New seals - half the oil consumption, and no smoke.

I was hoping you were planning to do the work yourself. I was looking forward to putting my experience to use.

Cost wise -- it's always a good idea to have the the timing belt and water pump replaced unless it's been done recently.

I would expect ~$1000 for valve seals, TB & WP.
Maybe less, depending on the shop.

I'm sure someone's had it quoted recently and can give you a better idea.