When our last one finally graduated from university my wife and I bought a 2009 convertible. Love the car but am thinking of upgrading to a used Stingray. I would appreciate any insights into smiles and cries pertaining to the different years. 2014, 2015, 2016 are the years we will look at, preferably with the Z51 package. We would like an auto as my old shoulders don't like shifting anymore. Lol. Any insights would be muchly appreciated. Budget will be between $60,000 and $70,000, (Canadian) Thanks in advance for any input.

 

I honestly don't think you could go wrong with any year of the C7. Some 2014's had a creaking roof issue that I think can be resolved with a retrofit of the pins and receivers. 2015 or 2016 got a metal start button, vs. plastic. 2016 I think was the year for the motorized hatch pull-down mechanism. I don't think the 2014's have front bumper cameras, if you need that to avoid parking curbs.

2015 or 2016 was when the 8-speed automatic was introduced, which has a reputation for being less reliable than the 6-speed.

There's really been no significant improvements over the years. Best wishes finding a garage queen someone has been saving for you!

 

Dont let age dictate that you get an automatic. shifting is great excercise for that shoulder.

 

I have a 2014 3LT A6. Love everything about the car! Given that a share of the A8 equipped 15's and up have experienced torque converter problems, I'm very happy mine is equipped with the tried and true A6.

 

You won't need as much of your budget for a 2014, so perhaps find a low mileage one from that year. A lot of the 2014s are out of warranty, though, so that might be something you need to factor in.

I didn't see the need for a z51 (although I did in the c6), so I bought a non z51. No regrets on that. I wanted only m7 and only convertible. That left picking the 1, 2 or 3 LT. I got the 3LT, but honestly think I'd have been fine with the 1LT. I do not use the navigation or the auto seat options, for instance, so wouldn't even notice if they weren't there.

I got the NPP exhaust but frankly, it's not as loud as I like. I'd prefer louder, so if you feel the same, you might want to go non NPP and add an aftermarket exhaust.

Good luck with your decision!

 

The 2014's came with a 5-Year, 100,000 mile warranty on the powertrain. Unless you choose a high mileage car, you'll have a powertrain warranty until 2019 or so. Additionally, you can always purchase an after-market warranty from several trustworthy vendors.

If you do some thread searches you'll find the '14's have a reputation for excellent reliability. There were several small recalls, all of which your selling dealer should honor. Good hunting!

 

In Canada the prices on used C7s has not dropped much at all, most of the used Z51 cars out there are sitting at around $65k CDN, I think you should seriously consider looking at a brand new one. A brand new, lightly optioned 1LT Z51 in Canada isn't that much higher than your budget!

 

All MYs come w/ a 5-Year/XXX,XXX powertrain warranty. However, 14-15's had a 100K mileage limitation, and that was reduced to 60K miles for the '16 MY on.

OP, saw your '09 is a convertible. If you're looking for another convertible, you need not worry about the "creaking roof syndrome," as that's a coupe issue.

I don't think you have to worry much about which MY is better as the '14s were essentially bullet-proof from the start. If you purchase from a dealer, all minor recalls should have been taken care of. Also consider a certified pre-owned (CPO) car from a dealer, which comes with extra warranty protections. That will also give you an opportunity to closely examine the GM records to ensure no warranty blocks.

I purchased a '14 Z51, M7, convertible, CPO vehicle w/ 4K miles that has been flawless.

 

The big differences are:
- 15+ model years went from an automatic 6 speed to an 8 speed.
- The 6 speed seems to be more reliable than the 8 based on this forum
- 16+ model years added Apple/Android Carplay, and a flat bottom steering wheel and front camera for LT2/3 trim levels.

I would highly recommend you find a Z51 with Magride. To me it is a must for a daily driver Z51.

 

I suggest checking dealer inventory all across Alberta. There are lots of new cars on the ground and you may be able to get a better discount on a new one compared to finding a good used one. My 2015 Z51 that I traded on my GS last fall would have been worth checking but it's went to a new home in late May.

This looks like the best discount on a new 2017 right now but it seems to have a few dealer miles on it for a new car. http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Chevrolet...&orup=23_15_26

Good luck on your search

 

Whichever used C7 you buy, be sure to ask for the Service Record from a GM dealer for that car before you buy. If it's been problematic, it will show up on the Service Record.
If you buy a Z51, be sure to determine if it has Magnetic Ride Control (MRC). Without MRC you have no option to change the stiff ride. With MRC, you can select the handling/stiffness of the ride.
If you like NPP, dual mode exhaust, be sure to determine ahead of time if the car has NPP. Sounds crazy, but dealers selling cars without NPP tried to hide that fact when I was looking.
Recommend you decide which interior you want, the base 1LT or the 2LT or 3LT upgrades. The 2LT has all the toys like heated/cooled seats, HUD, chromatic mirrors etc. 3LT has nicer leather, but no additional toys.
Best of luck finding your C7.

 

Right now there are a lot of quality used vehicles out there, owned by "motivated" sellers....IMHO.... you just have to look hard.

I just bought a very low mileage (6K) '15 3LT Z51 'Vert for just under $50K... that was still under warranty. You have to look at a lot of frogs perhaps but here are some things I did....

* Knew what I wanted (and did not care to own.... e.g. equipment color, body style) before I got serious looking on Autotrader and CarGuru

* Looked at "Total cost of ownership" .... e.g. insurance, extended warranty if desired and necessary mods to what I considered purchasing

* Ran the VIN through my local dealer to see available service records of any "prior issues" I might want/need to know about and that the mileage jived with current miles claimed

* CarFax, BTW, has a built in latency so checking that is only relative IF the incident/accident happened a while back AND it was even reported at all.... remember, "off the books" repairs may NEVER show up on CarFax!

* When I got serious on a vehicle, I leaned on a local NCRS member to go look at the vehicle to spot anything that was NOT reported in the ad or conversations

* Bought from a Private Party (in my case, in another State) and, in Arizona' avoided another 8-9% Tax a dealer would have charged or transferred for me to pay when I registered it in Arizona.... BIG BUCKS!!

* I chose to drive my new baby from La. to Az. to enjoy it./.. not to mention saving $1,500 or more for shipping it by enclosed van

I cannot tell you how happy I am with my new baby .... replaced a '74 'Vette "vert I had owned for 27 years.....

GO for it!!... LK

 

If I was looking for a used C7, I would want at least a portion of the 3/36 available for any unknown issues that might have been experienced by the previous owner. Nonetheless, you can't go wrong with any MY C7. It's a pretty rock solid platform. GL.

 

^
Agree, and with some portion of original B2B warranty left, you can purchase a Chevrolet Protection Plan (GMEPP) extended warranty for a relatively low price. With the exception of the A8 issue, powertrain problems are unlikely. It's the electronics that are most likely to cause problems, and one replacement of an electronic component will probably pay back the extended warranty premium.

 

Case in point.... after looking with an "NCRS EYE" at the wheels, I found that all four of the split spoke chrome wheels had greater or lesser issues of bubbling or flaking (NOT just pitting from rocks or break dust) .... not that dramatic so it just jumps out at you... but a defect none the less. Took the car to my dealer and asked for replacement under warranty..... I wanted to start out "fresh" vs. finding that after a few years the "plating cancer" had spread.

Getting the remaining new wheels put on tomorrow and my life with my "new to me" beauty will be better because the B to B warranty will not expire until Sept 17....after that, I will purchase a GMPP to deal with all the technologies that could fail and cost big dollars (e.g. power top, A8 tranny). I know, "insurance" is a bad deal to some but piece of mind is priceless to me... LK

 

Wow, thanks for all the informative responses. I will take all of them into consideration. Upon further investigation I will definitely make sure the car has MRC. One other question, my 09 has the Z51 package so do you guys think the base Stingray without the Z51 package handles as good as a C6 with the Z51. I belong to the local Corvette club and tracked the 09 for the first time at our annual conference last week and I was very impressed with the way the 09 handles (my first time ever tracking any car and have zero experience in this type of driving, but I would like to do it once per year at our conference). If I can get the same type of handling from a Stingray without the Z51 package I may go that route.

 

You pose a very subjective question (to Z51 or not to Z51) Ask one of your fellow club members to drive their vehicle that is roughly what you are considering... they are a great source of information and..... opinions....smile...

BTW, I did have MRC on my wishlist but the car I chose did not happen to have it, although fully loaded and "perfect" otherwise.... I love it as it is....you can't go terribly wrong with a newer C7!!!! The goodies really kick in at the 2LT and 3LT levels but it depends on your values not mine, does't it....smile....LK

 

To add on to this, I learned through my own experience that even reputable auto shops don't necessarily report to car fax. I'd always been under the impression that carfax was a fairly bullet proof way to see a cars history, until I had my own car (not a corvette) run. I bought it brand new in July of 2013, and was hit by a taxi cab the day after thanksgiving that year. It did over $10,000 in damage, including frame damage. My insurance company (geico) chose the shop where the repairs were made. They did an incredible job of fixing the car, but as of about 2 months ago, my car still has no accident history. I have no doubt that any mechanic worth anything can see the scars from the repairs on the frame, but anyone who trusted the carfax would never know.

 

IF the repair shop orders Chev. OEM parts, it likely WILL show up but do NOT assume that all accidents (reported or not) find their way to CarFax. Insurance companies also contribute claim data.... generally... but it can actually take as long as a YEAR for things to show on the CarFax radar screen.... Not ******* on CarFax, just a "truth in lending" observation.....

That is why I had an NCRS friend (or maybe local dealer?!) check out my prospective buy....someone that SHOULD be able to spot non-production issues.....smile

 

In my case it was a Ford (fusion) that the shop claimed to have used OEM parts for. I'd think that the same as what you stated would apply, but wer're going on 4 years since the accident at this point, so I'm assuming in my case it's not going to show up at this point. Either way, were both saying that carfax can't be blindly relied upon.