learntodrive

My 95 maxima was starting some of the time but not most of the time. I finally decided to replace the starter. This worked for the first five or so starts then it got strange. It would not start right off but as soon as I turned the key and put the car in neutral, it starts. Also, it is an automatic and when I pull the knob past Neutral, it gets hard to pull. I know, probably two different problems. I have no experience in this, I actually replaced the starter as my first car fix ever. Not too bad. Can anybody offer any insight or advice on what the problem could be?