My 1997 jetta won't shift into 1st

On friday I just bought a jetta and it was shifing fine till half way home it wont shift into first to save my life all the other gears work fine so the whold way home i had to start out in second which by the way sucks and is bad for the tranny

Starting in second gear is not bad for the transmission but is potentially harmful to the clutch.

Have someone check the shift mechanism.

A leak in the hydraulic clutch mechanism is another possibility. Have you checked the level in the clutch fluid reservoir?

I have not but i will first thing in the morning. I do remember something happening early where my tranny plug came out and leaked the fluid so i have not driven in since i noticed that. would that have anything to do with it. and this is my first time having a vw jetta

“I do remember something happening early where my tranny plug came out and leaked the fluid”

This happened early…when? Earlier in your life? Early in the drive home with this particular car?

If I am interpreting this information correctly (which is doubtful), the transmission’s drain plug came out and the fluid leaked out, and you want to know if this could lead to transmission problems. Is that correct?

If my interpretation is correct, you should have immediately parked the car until the drain plug could be replaced and the transmission could be refilled with the correct lubricant. Continuing to drive in any make of car after the transmission has lost its oil is…a problem.

This is all very unclear.