The 14 A6 seems to be pretty bulletproof overall. The 15 and 16 A8s are another story. With the 17s, who knows yet if things are truly fixed?

Do you think for piece of mind a lightly used 14 is the better way to go? I'm planning on keeping the Vette I buy for for awhile. I live in an area without a dealer with a lot of Vette expertise. So having them tear apart the Vette would be a concern too.

I know a lot of A8s running ok, but the tranny is a not like a minor part to be fixed. It's one of the biggest components of the whole car. I'm 50/50 on which way to go....

Which way would you go?

 

I would go with the newest model I could afford and wanted. I would not let the issues I have read about regarding the A8 deter me.

 

Don't think I would want a '16 A8.

 

I would go with the sure bet - the 2014 with the A6. The issues I have read about regarding the A8 would deter me.

 

I am on season two of my '15 A8. No issues so far. No jerking, no lag, no locking. Just a good running tranny in my books.

 

Had the A6 in my Pontiac G8 GT and loved it. Have the A8 in my 2015 C7 and love it even more...Only have about 2800 miles on mine and so far so good with the A8. With that said, I'd go with the latest and greatest.

On edit: If you look at the statistics, there are a ton of A8s out there that have had no problems. Sure we see several here showing up with issues, but there have to be way more out there without issues than with issues. Most are not inclined to show up here boasting and bragging about how great our A8 is running, but we are inclined to visit here to see knowledge/input if we are experiencing an issue. Just some food for thought...

 

Picked up my '16 coupe with manual 7spd last week.
We'll see what happens......

Me, old school. A Corvette with an automatic is a crime against nature.

 

I'm in a C7 Z51 after selling a Jaguar F-Type I absolutely loved. It had an absolutely flawless ZF 8-speed auto, which has been universally praised by all with paddle shifts as crisp as the Porsche PDK. Moreover, it was absolutely trouble-free in every other way in more than 2 years of ownership, The only visits to the dealer were for oil changes.

As good as the ZF auto was in the Jag, I simply couldn't learn to love the auto as much as I loved working 3 pedals. Old habits die hard.

 

I'm sure there are more owners with no problems with the A8 than there are with the problems. What you see here is the ones that have problems posting, while the others are just happily driving their cars.

 

The ZF 8 speed in my old 8 speed Challenger was just as good, someone at GM should drive one to see how good an 8 speed auto could be.

Anyhow, I had a '14 with the A6 and overall the A8 is not that much different and they seem to be somewhat trouble free. But the '14s had some torque tube and engine issues so there is always a chance of getting a 'bad' one. Especially a low mile '14, you never know what will pop up.

Good thing is the '14 will have a 5yr/100K powertrain warranty, but tearing an A8 trans out to fix or replace a torque tube has the same chance of the dealer screwing something up.

I wouldnt be scared of an A8, its not like the transmissions are exploding, a lot of problems are programming/learn issues. I noticed the harder I drive this '16 A8 the better it shifts. Drive it like an old lady and it starts doing all kinds of weird stuff. Also, just like a door ding when you notice a trans issue you can repeat it gets worse and worse because you focus on it. My biggest gripe is such a nice looking car with what looks a 100.00 Earl Shceib paint job. I guess the A8 issues have overtaken the paint complaints

Buy what you like and make sure its under warranty, if its an A8 car make sure it sits overnight before you buy it and see if it has the delayed engagement, also drive it on the highway with the cruise at 70-75 in drive and see if you get the V4 shudder.

 

Don't be scared off by what you read. Get the one you like, and enjoy. My A8 has been fine.

 

for now

 

Always a little ray of sunshine there Jake.

 

I've never understood why people make a big deal of the A6 and A8, other than possible reliability. The cars look the same, drive the same, pretty much are the same except for the number of gears in the slushbox. I love my trusty reliable A6 in my '14. If either do the job they're supposed to you should never know they are there and make driving the car enjoyable, if you're not a row-your-own kind of gearhead.

I'll let the Auto-anything haters chime in that any real sports car should have a manual, but as for the OP's question, I wouldn't let a car having the A6 seem any less of a good choice than one with an A8.

 

That's funny. The original 1953 C1, all white with red interior, had a two speed automatic in every single corvette they built that year.

The vast majority of autos have had no problems, and those with problems tend to be the early ones, so I think OP would be fine with a 17 A8, if that's what he wants.

 

 

What's that saying about don't ever buy a first year Corvette because it takes a year or two to get the issues worked out?

 

Nah. It just means that if you wait 60 years or so you can get an A8.

 

get a 2017 M7 screw the A8 ...too much risk for the money you are spending ...plus the M7 costs less ...

 

I'd wait and get the 10 speed in the 17.