Just bought a 2004 mazda3 hatchback - my first mazda - and am loving it!

But I don't like the shift ****. As a temporary replacement, I put on an old shift **** from a previous car (1980 honda civic) but the threading is different... I think I damaged the threading on the old ****, and it's crooked, but it feels way better in my hand.

Anyway, I like a small, rounded ****, that's comfortable between the fingers. I live in Los Angeles, so I do a whole lot of city driving. (it's darn difficult to find manual transmission cars here! But I won't buy anything else.)

I find that the mazda3's shifter takes a lot more force to get out of gear than my previous 89 integra. I am wondering if perhaps a weighty shift **** would be practical for making shifting smoother?

Any particular recommendations?

Thanks!
~David.