Transmission is going
Gear up then
You can also start a car in Neutral. Also remember to put your foot on the brake too.
my 96 lincolntown car wont go in gear and the abs system light comes on
safety reasons
My first suspect would be the clutch. Have a competent mechanic take a look at it.
The clutch is master and or slave cylinder are bad
Switch to 4th gear!
For the Reverse problem, you could have low transmission fluid, or a bad transmission. For starting in drive, just about every modern car will not start when the transmission is in gear. They will only start in Park or Neutral. This is a safety feature to prevent the car from taking off into someone or something when started.
The first half i can answer, the car wont start due to a thing called a neutral safety switch, car will not start unless it is in neutral or park, this is done as a safety feature so the car wont leap ahead or reverse when started The switch you are looking for is down behind the clutch petal and this electrical part costs about 50 Dollars you may have to remove the drivers seat to repair this conponet
Its a problem with your traction control. It may be just the switch in the glove compartment. If traction control is turned "OFF" the car will only start in 2nd gear.
Because your transmission is broken. When a car wont go into gear(s) there is something wrong with the linkage, the transmission control system ( electronics on some newer vehicles ), the clutch or the the transmission itself.
Your clutch is not disengaging.