It sounds like something is stuck in the throttle body.
Typically, the coolant passages in the coolant body (or in the hoses going in and out of it) get clogged, which prevents proper flow of (hot) coolant to the thermowax that allows the idle to "kick down" once the engine warms up.
If a previous owner f*cked with the throttle body, that'll prevent the thermowax from doing it's job too.
-Ted
|