I will list the oddities and I hope someone will tell me that this is a cheap problem.
Speedometer bounces from 0 to 80 while driving.
Has trouble getting in gear when I first start driving (first gear) unless I manually put it down to first, then it works well enough.
Problem is nearly gone in morning and during a cool rainstorm.
Gets worse as car warms.
Speedometer was broken for a couple months before this started.
Idling while warmed up is shaky and has died a couple times, perhaps only dies when I roll back a bit, like down a driveway.
I am not too car savvy and I am hoping that this will be cheap.
I Have two small children one car, full time student, full time pizza delivery guy. I NEED this car and I am broke.
Which problem do you want to fix most? How many miles on car?
auto or manual
Sometimes the cheapest thing you can do is to fix problems as soon as they become apparent and start a chain of problems.
I am going to take a wild guess and suggest you have an automatic transmission. It may need a simple linkage adjustment.
I would like that bouncing speedometer fixed soon (find a local speedometer shop, not your local mechanic. If you don’t know when the last time the transmission fluid was change, change it now (It should be changed every 25 - 50,000 miles.)
I hate to see cars junked because someone did not have the money to maintain the car, but somehow find the money to buy a replacement.
The reason your transmission does not shift properly is the vehicle speed sensor(VSS) has likely failed. This not only tells you the speed of vehicle but also the computer and transmission which allows it to run and shift properly.
Is there a bright yellow/orange light with the shape of an engine illuminated on your dash? If yes get the codes read free typically at an autoparts chain. At the very least you will have a speed sensor code.
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