I tried searching but its hard to put the issue into words. When starting the car for the first time in the day (or once it has cooled down), it cranks for a long time. When it does turn on, it bogs and wants to die/it dies. If left on for a bit, the motor will slowly "come to life". Once the car has reached operating temp, I can turn it off and on like nothing. Seems like the issue is when the car is cold. Any thoughts on what could be the problem?

 

When cold, turn the key on but don't crank, watch for the check engine light to come on then go out. If it comes on and stays on the ECU is not booting up and the car is not going to start. Also (somewhat related) if the CEL is on while running you need to pull the code and investigate-- don't expect any car to run properly with a code present.

Dirty IACV can cause various starting and idling difficulties. Remove the valve and clean it.