Your car has trouble shifting to 3rd it takes a while?

Assuming this is an automatic transmission this could be a sign that the transmission is failing, or may just be a sign that the Transmission Fluid is low.

Check your transmission fluid & top it off if need be. While youre at it, have a sniff, if it smells burnt at all you better start looking for another car.

However, if you drive the car very carefully, avoiding jackrabbit starts and hard accelerations, you may be able to get another year or two out of it.