Gear positions drifting to the left

[Theophilus]

I've got a 2002 Subaru Legacy Outback with a 5-speed manual transmission and I've been driving it for almost ten years. 

Just lately I've started having problems hitting the correct gears when I shift.  I try to put it in 1st and I hit 3rd.  I try to get into 2nd and I hit 4th.  Sometimes I try to go into 3rd and I hit 5th.  And there have even been several times when I've been shifting into 4th and I've hit reverse (which is really disturbing).  It seems that all the proper gear positions are drifting to the left, so I'm now hitting one gear to the right of where I should be.

The problem only started about a month ago, and it's definitely getting worse every day.  Any idea what could be causing this?  Is there some bolt that holds the transmission in place and could be coming loose?  Or maybe the rods connected to the gear shift are starting to bend?  Everything else is working and the car is driving fine, but changing gears is just going to be impossible if this keeps getting worse.

[el_freddo]

There’s a set of bushes in the shift linkage between the gearbox and the lever. It’s a common issue. 

Someone will know the parts you need. It’s relatively simple, just fiddly to get to. 

Cheers 

Bennie

[montana tom]

Here is an Ebay item number for the original equipment complete part. 132901914818  type this in the ebay search.  

[1 Lucky Texan]

my 06 WRX's shifter is beginning to feel sloppy - are there 'upgraded' parts to go in there?