when the car is stopped, it's perfectly fine. First gear engages smoothly

but say i'm slowing down for a light, coasting in neutral, light changes and I change to first or second gear. it becomes very hard to engage. downshifting to 4th or 3rd is fine though.

any help? not a big deal, but i'm just afraid it's a precursor to some more problems

 

Depending on how fast you are going and what gear you are trying to select, it might take a little force to get the synchronizers to match the transmission speed with the engine. Next time blip the throttle a little (in neutral w/ clutch engaged) before selecting a gear, see if that helps.

 

I agree, revmatching on the downshift will help immensely.

 

+Juan

Same with all the Subaru performance cars, I assume you have to be relatively close to the right RPM in the first two gear to be let in. Don't force it, rev the motor a little and it should glide right in.