So I have a hard time shifting to 2nd. I have to put an unusual amount of force in order to put into gear. Also my shifter feels sorta loose. Can anyone tell me what's wrong?

 

How is it when the car is off....will it go into gear smoothly?

If it does could be clutch related

If it doesn't likely the shift fork or syncro

 

When i first got my 8 I noticed that the gearbox was a little notchy. Mine does what yours does sometimes, especially when downshifting 3-2 at higher revs. I think that's just the synchros spinning up to prevent damage tho...

 

How old are the fluids?