With my Crossfire, I had the popping out of first gear issue. It would happen a couple of times a month. So, I took the car to the dealership, they put new synchros in, and the popping out of gear syndrome GOT WORSE! Then, they put a new transmission in the vehicle, and I have yet to get the vehicle to pop out of gear in about 12,000 miles. Unfortunately, the 1st to 2nd shift resistance as you describe developed with the new transmission in a few hundred miles, which involved a sound of grinding on some shifts. But, I pretty much gave-up on the tranny. Does anyone know if a short-shift kit will cure this 1-2 shift problem?