5mt tranny issue

Ok so I purchased this car as is, the tranny appears to be a rebuilt one or new by looking at the case its super super clean, so here is the issue the shifter appears to be in neutral, it will not go into any other gear, but if you let the clutch out it is in 1st gear. I am not sure if this is a common problem that has happened or what, im just confused because the transmission looks new or rebuilt. Im thinking bent shift fork possibly, im just trying to get some opinions or possibly if someone has had this happen to them before. Also anyone know of any reputable transmission shops around here that do rebuilds if that is the case? Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I'm assuming you took the car for a test drive before buying it, and it drove fine. With that...

Did this just all of a sudden happen? All the linkages firmly attached at both ends? You say the shift appears to be in neutral... is this by visual assesment only, or did you physically verify the shift is moving left/right within the neutral zone?

My first thought is the clutch is worn/not fully disengaging, thus making shift in/out of gear difficult. Although, I don't know what your 'appears to be in neutral' comment means so... need more info. I would try to rule out the easy options before jumping to internal trans issues.

Oh, and no, I don't think this is common.....

If the shifter is loose it will feel like it just wants to move around even when it's in gear.

Can you feel the shifter go into 1st gear ? When its in gear there should be very little side to side play.

If it moves around a lot, tighten the 12mm bolts that hold the shifter to the tranny.

Oh, where do you live ? I know a guy...