Do I just need a tuneup or is my tranny going? To get out of first gear I have to keep giving gas, once I get out of first the car runs fine.

Have you tried manually shifting it from first to second? When it finally shifts, does it engage harsh or is it a soft shift? Check the steel vacuum line that goes from the intake to the vacuum modulator valve, which is mounted on the front of the transmission, is it kinked? Has the modulator assembly been bent? Are there any trouble codes?