Over the past two months my 2005 LX has taken an extra second to start, suspected the starter motor might be going. Have been barely using it (can walk to work now).

After a week in the garage, today it almost didn't start. Took about 5 seconds, and the engine light stayed on. Also seemed initially like the automatic gearbox was taking a long time to change gears - power completely disappearing for a second or so during changes. After a 10 minute drive, it started again much quicker for the return trip, and I didn't notice the power lag between gear changes.

Could an almost dead battery be the cause? Anything else maybe? I've had the car over two years now and haven't touched the battery.