Water boiling . Then is gone

A bad head gasket is more likely. If you pull the head check it for cracks and warp.

Can someone please help me out. I don't know any about cars and don't want to by a new head if it is not the answer. Could it be the thermostat or radiator?

Every one said to buy different car. Well I don't drive a 97 for the fun of it all. If I buy a 500 dollar car, I get even more problems to fix then. And I don't have the 500 to start with. The car died at a stop sign. I got it restarted, let it cool till I could put water in. Drove it. The temperature light comes on and I popped the hood, I could see water boiling in the container that you put the water in to add it at. The cap casket is melted because of heat of the water. I thought maybe it needed a new cap. I do realize that the head gasket is a different problem than the lid cap that I put water in. But as well is what I am saying. Thanks for any help a 57 year old widow can get.

The fix will be a lot more than you paid for the car.

I'd be more inclined to look at 2 things first....radiator fan....does it come on? (Possible bad fan motor) and the other....water pump....if it's not working it's just gonna keep heating up the water that's in the engine, pushing it backwards and out to the reserve tank once hot enough

A leak that turns into a low coolant level will boil the coolant. You need to fix the leak, and if the leak is the head gasket, which seals the engine from the coolant passages, that will need to be replaced. Like FOR indicated, a head gasket job will be a large expense. That is why others are telling you to buy a newer vehicle. Since you don't work on cars, get some quotes from some local mechanics. It might be a simple fix like a hose or stuck thermostat and get you back on the road for a couple hundred.