I recently purchased a 2003 mazda tribute the transmission goes into reverse just fine however it will not engage in any foward gear my question is could it be a bad sensor?

Unfortunately I will have to say no. A bad sensor will not prevent your vehicle from going forward. It could cause it to shift funny but it won't cause you to lose forward gears. Without checking your vehicle I will say it sounds like an internal transmission issue that will need to be rebuilt or replaced. I hope you got a good deal on the Tribute.

I have a 2004 Mazda tribute and the truck will not move in any gear would that be that the transmission is gone or could it be the sensor?