~Stingray

Hey Guys,

I am seriously looking at purchasing a 2014 Corvette. Since this was the first model year I want to be aware of any concerns from those who have been driving them for the last 3 years. I have been on here enough to know a few things, but since I haven't really been looking until now I didn't really make a list of things to check. Obviously, the whole, engine exploding, thing is probably not a concern since it has been 3 years.

2LT, NPP, Z51, Magride, comp seats
VIN: 1G1YJ2D73E5131137
(if anyone can pull a recent carfax that would be great.)

1.) Are there any recalls for the car? I thought I read on here there was a targa top recall. But the owner said he wasn't aware of one.

2.) I wanted NPP so I could control when the car was loud and when it wasn't. However, the owner has removed the mufflers (sold them) and put on Magflow comp catbacks. According to him, the v4 mode valves still operate but not the NPP ones since the original mufflers are gone. He also said once in 7th gear, you can't hear anything. This will be my daily driver and I don't want a loud drone and rumble at 6:30 in morning when I am driving to work with the wife or when trying to have a conversation with a passenger (Trying to avoid having to talk over the exhaust). When I want to have fun, yes, but not every day for an hour. What are your thoughts on this set up and what the driver is saying. I am concerned about the same level of noise I have in my 1980 corvette that has magflow exhaust - it gets loud and I have to speak loudly to talk to my wife. Videos online make it sound great, but there wasn't one from inside of the car.

3.) He is unaware of the warranty status. Can I, and should I, get an extended warranty? I plan to keep the car for a while. Maybe until the midcycle of the C8 or later, depending on financials. I see the 5year/100000 miles powertrain, but what about the bumper to bumper. I can't seem to see a build date on the windows sticker.

4.) Anything else you want to add or questions you want to ask.

Thanks. Ease of mind is a wonderful thing....trying to get some of that here.

hope2

Owned two, one for two years. Z51 manual convertibles with mag ride and NPP, both. Recommend.

Build date is on the vin sticker on door. This is a late build car from vin. Don't like his warranty comment, check with Chevy dealer status and dates. Exhaust noise might be issue, don't know. Extended warranty not worth money. 2014 only year to buy with automatic trans, imop

LT4_CE

Not to get off track here, but when I saw the subject line of your post, I thought to myself, "opinions...? On this forum, finding some of those shouldn't be a problem!"

:eek :

Steve Garrett

I got mine in October 2013....after LOTS of mods and 22,000 miles, still in the honeymoon phase with me car. No issues....mine was one of the first 1,500 built too.

thill444

Either call or chat with Chevy Customer service regarding the VIN number. They can tell you warranty status (if there is voided warranty) and if there is any length left.

Personally, I love the NPP exhaust and being able to control the sound level. You can also adjust the default exhaust modes via the head unit. For 2014 NPP was an option so I would make sure the car actually had it. I am almost inclined to tell have the stock one put back on.

The extended warranty thing is a personal choice. I am inclined to tell you to at least get a quote and make the call. One major repair and it more than pays for itself. I don't usually buy them but with a car like the C7 and all the options you are getting it is really something to consider.

~Stingray

bump, any more advice from the entire forum?

Red C8 of Jax

What's the mileage on this car? Since it is used, I would definitely get an extended warranty. If you are out of the 3/36, the extended warranty will probably be too expensive. The extended warranty is good insurance until you are ready to move up to the C-8. An extended warranty can also help you sell your car if you have any left when you are ready to move to the C-8. I usually get the extended warranty for an additional year beyond the time I intend to get my next corvette. This makes it very easy to sell the car when the new buyer has one year of bumper to bumper warranty left.

mdiiulio

For the roof, there most definitely is a bulletin for 2014/2015 roof panels. Check out this thread HERE.

Basically, look at the front mounting pins. If they are black, nothing has been changed. You want white pins as they are made with the new material. The bulletin also addresses the front mounting plates, but those are more difficult to inspect at a glance.

P.S. This is a rarer option, but if your car came with two tops then make sure they are both updated. It took some explaining to my dealer, but after they looked up the build options they covered both. This caused a bit of confusion in the parts dept, but they eventually figured it out.

~Stingray

11500 miles

Red C8 of Jax

You might also ask the dealer (doesn't matter which one) to run the repair history for this car. They can also tell you if there are any recalls outstanding.

Always Red Dave

My 2014 has been GREATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!

Foosh

No issues on my '14, and the only recall was for the passenger seat belt/airbag switch, which also pertained to the '15 MY. That was a simple software reflash.

brooklync5

I own a late 2014 and its perfect. No issues. Aside from the airbag/seatbelt recall there isn't anything else that needs to be addresses recall wise. Your out of your bumper to bumper but still have a bunch of time on your power train I'm sure. You'll have 5 years from when the car was first sold. Carfax will obviously help you determine the exact date. if the price is right buy it with confidence. Just remember prices in the past few months have started to plummet so make sure you get a great deal. There are more corvettes for sale out there than people who want them. I bought mine in September of '16... if I would have waited till November I probably would have saved at least another 2k.

LIStingray

Depending upon the serial number, there were up to 3 recalls + 2 advisories. recalls: potentially defective shocks in non-MSRC cars, fuel filler and air bag programming; advisories: washer fluid tank & roof pins.
I would not want a car with the magna-flows - they are loud all the time. I appreciate being able to start the car in tour mode (npp closed) at 6 am and not wake up my family.
2014's have been as reliable as the 2015-2017 cars.

Mike Campbell

My 2014 will be 3 on St. Patrick's Day and the VIN indicates it was built as the 17,291 produced. I had a shock absorber recall and they were replace and I had a seat belt programming recall that the dealer checked out & it did not need to be reprogrammed. Also my roof doesn't rattle and the car so far has been a delight. However, why that dealer took off the NPP is suspect to me. If you'd like my advice, forget that car, and dealer and shop around. You can get a better car without questionable issues from more honest people. Just my opinion.
Good luck and remember there's plenty of Forum sponsors that'll help you out.

~Stingray

It was an individual, not a dealer. He just liked the sound of magflows.

I have been searching for a bit, and the dealers are all 5-10k more than what I am finding from people. Plus, half the time, dealers don't know what they have. It gets annoying when I ask dealer questions and they either have no idea and make something up or don't know. Like calling and asking about competition seat. "yes, we have them". I get there and their are none. "oh, i thought those were the other seats"?. Is car a 1LT or 2LT..."not sure".

Mike Campbell

Pardon me then. But I tend to be cynical especially when shopping for a car and hear some of the stories. However, most of the Forum sponsors have salespeople that do know a little about the products they're selling. But I can honestly say that in my own experience most of the time I've known more about the car or even a lawn mower that I was looking for than the sales person trying to sell it to me.

AORoads

So, what are you going to do about the exhaust? Get NPP and replace magnaflows? You'd also be wise to take the in-service date and call someone who sells GMEPP to see what the cost will be for an "extended warranty" which is really a prepaid service plan (Dennis Fichtner comes to mind but most dealers sell it). I'm sure you recall going to any GM dealer (doesn't have to be Chev) for the free, VIS report that details what recalls, TSBs if any have been done and also if there is a warranty block on any part of the car.

Depending on how fussy you are (and how important it is), you might want to consider having a dealer actually check the car to see if anything has been significantly modified so that it would cause a warranty claim (such as powertrain) to be denied--such as an aftermarket tune. In other words, there may be no warranty block now because the car hasn't been into the dealer but if you were to bring it in....

Mike Campbell

There's also a way to tell if the car once really had NPP because the valves would still be there. I just read an article about a Hooker Exhaust system to fit a C7 and it hooks up to the valve controls. I have no idea what it costs but there's always alternatives.

bearphoto

My 14 has had no issues at all, Z51 convertible with an A6 trans. The 14's have a better warranty period than all the other C7 corvettes. Its 5 years instead of the 3. Mine had only a battery fail at 2 years (replaced free under warranty) and the airbag recall which was easy. No torque converter issues or anything else the A8's have had.

You can't go wrong with the 14's.