Bought a car that leaks oil?

It's been a disaster, my mom bought me car that needs a lot of work. It's a 1997 honda civic ex with 134k miles. A mechanic told me it's better to get a new engine. What should I do? The car cost us $2000 bought it from a neighbor

Could just need valve cover gasket, could be a few other things, get a second opinion.

Take the car to another mechanic, maybe a local shop that has been around a long time, or get a recommendation from friends.
These little cars are usually pretty decent and the oil leak may be something easy that this present mechanic just doesn't want to deal with.
My bet is it just needs a distributor shaft O-ring which is about 50 cents and 20 bucks worth of labor to change. Be sure to get the timing belt history though and if it's due, have the seals on the front of the engine changed at the same time.

The first and most important thing you can do is get rid of the mechanic you talked to. He is not interested in fixing the leak he is interested in fatting his wallet. And just what do you think is a "ton" of work, a gasket?

You have learned a very good lesson, and unfortunately some lessons cost money and suffering.
You should have taken the car to a mechanic for an evaluation first.
What is the specific issue with the car? A new engine, that sounds a bit odd. If has some oil leaks then those should cost less to fix than installing a used engine. And if you install a used engine, unless all the gaskets and valves are replaced prior to installation, then it could start leaking in a week or year, etc.
And 134k is not a lot of miles for a a civic.
You need to do some research on this. Take the car to a mechanic that specializes in Honda, get details on what is wrong. Also ask about things like replacing the timing belt. If needs oil leak fixed, might be best to do timing belt also.

Kevin. You're winner.

Tightening all the screws on the valve cover and oil pan could help the leaking.