Dodge Repair: Instrument Panel + Trans Acting Strange Read This Please, fuel gauge, dense fog

Question
First of all i may sound like i am telling too much in words this is the best way to explain it to you since i know you are a expert because it may have 1 or more problems and explaining it more for people may have a similar problem as well that has no experience like me of course. Hello I'm hoping you can help dramatically with my car it is a Dodge Intrepid 1994 3.5L 6 cylinder here's the thing when i go to turn the car over to ignition not turning all the way over to actually start the car my gauges won't work and nothing on it like the fuel gauge, rpm gauge etc... won't work well anyway after I go to actually turning the car over to start the car it will accelerate but it seems to not shift into the next gear which is probably 2nd gear but I could be wrong though about what gear it has a problem shifting to next. but heres the kicker if i actually keep driving all of a sudden it will kick in to the next gear and the gauges start working to and the car will most of the time jerk when it does it. meaning probably a transmission problem but i don't think it is because when i actually go to turn the car back to ignition and not actually starting the vehicle and keep doing this till the gauges and dash lights do work correctly  then start  then it responds correctly the (gauges) will work and everything is normal and when i do shift the car in drive it will shift correctly and work fine and everything. i have had a couple people tell me it could be 2 things or just 1 or multiple but mostly these errors here: Ignition Switch down in the steering column OR the key lock and cylinder  which is where you put the key at and start the vehicle with the key or maybe some sensors to the transmission  which could 2 or 3 problems i don't know but it does it quite a bit it does have a bad heater core because the windshield keeps fogging up and if i turn on the heater or ac it blows out a dense fog like but it smears the windshield when i try to wipe it off. but the problem about the gauges and dash lights and  happened before the heater core problem so i am thinking of ruling that out. when i say dash lights i mean like the regular lights when u turn the vehicle over not the bulb type lights for night driving that is a totally different meaning to my problem the dask lights for the night driving works correctly when i turn on my headlights. well any help is appreciated very much thanks!!

Answer
The ign switch issue u are going in the right direction a switch or key cly issue.

OK the tranny issue  not much i can do or say about that one due to not being able to look at it .
Heater core  yeah  they happen
gauges hummm which guages dont work?? spedo,tach, other lights work? got a check engine light one  if so what is the codes? The guage issue and starting issue could be tied into one.