i have a 2003 pontiac sunfire coupe, 2.2 ecotec,5 speed
car has 152,560kms and will shift smoothly into 2ond,3rd,4th,5th and reverse gears perfect! but will not shift into first, cant even slide the shifter in 1st position, (this is my first j body, and when the cars in neutral and you slide the shifter from side to side it feels stiff, (it maybe normal idk) i've only ever owned 1 manual before and it was a 02 corolla and it wasnt stiff like that at all, but being they are 2 totally different cars it mght be normal but i thought i'd mention it
any help would be greatly appreciated! i need this fixed asap and dont have the cash for a high priced mechanic, i usually do my own work

Same problem with 3th gear the trans is going in short terms.. its rebuild or replace.