Transmission grinding issue

So i recently bought a rx8 2004 with 61k miles on it. owner said first gear was gone, second gear grind-ed when warm, and reverse needed a synchro, but others "worked". So i got it home (had it hauled). The reason i bought it was it looked good, perfect inside out, engine sounds strong, and was cheap. So i get it home and the first thing i noticed was you can shift in every gear perfect when car is off no clutch. i took that as a indication that tranny may be OK and it would/is clutch issue. He mentioned getting a new clutch installed right before the problems started. I checked the clutch pedal, i could wiggle it side to side a little but nothing too extreme. pedal didnt feel as stiff as my cheap daily beaters, and i could travel about a inch or two freely before i could feel it firm and stiffen up. I put new gas in it, and fired it up this morning. let it idle for 5 mins or so, then hopped in. I tried first, just to see what would happen and it seemed to go in fine, but in not used to the shifter so im not 100% it went in all the way. Well i pulled clutch out gave a little gas, nothing extreme, and immediately stopped when i heard constant grinding. So what i want to ask you guys is where to start? Does it seem like a clutch issue? Or time to dry my tears on a new trans? If you need any other info, just ask. PS. owner never recalls changing trans fluid???