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Butternut, I am now 65 years old and have owned 5 Corvettes. My C7 is a great car and dont be concerned about the issues you mention. Just make sure you buy the best C7 you can find, have it checked out if possible and enjoy it. Best of luck and post photos when you get the car. Welcome to the forum.
This reminds we of something my wife and I discussed just last night. One time while pulling into our favorite wine bar, I completely destroyed my right side skirt on a curb extension. After we parked, and I used some choice words, my wife says to me “You’re not gonna let that ruin our evening are you? Before I can get a word out, she said “After all, you’re gonna get it fixed right?” That certainly eased the pain. Before the first drink hit our table, I had a pair already ordered and on the way to the house.😬
that’s a darn good wife right there. She has a great sense of perspective
Ride height - i’m surprised nobody has brought up the issue of lowering the car. A popular modification made on Corvettes is to lower the ride height because it’s fairly easy to do. People that lower their cars quite a bit have to be very careful about driveways speed bumps etc. (there will be several that claim theirs is lowered and it’s not an issue to them though LOL ) The car is low enough with its factory settings and still looks great. I always leave my ride heights alone. I do not have any significant issues scraping stuff, but it it is different than a regular car. As long as you treat it as such it won’t be a problem, unless you live in a very hilly area. You did not mention where you live. If you live in an area with very steep driveway aprons, it can be a problem but for most of is, it’s not. Since you are buying used, I would make sure the car has not been lowered.
This is my third Corvette and the first one with magnetic ride. I absolutely love it. It would be on my shortlist of desirable items, but not a deal breaker. Also, regarding trim level, everybody’s going to tell you to buy whatever trim level they have. Ignore them and listen to me. The 2LT is the one you want to get It’s the sweet spot between pricing and value. I absolutely love the Bose stereo with the subwoofer. It’s the first Bose equipped GM vehicle I’ve ever owned and actually has a good stereo in it. The Bose stereo in my first two Corvettes sucked. There was absolutely no bass unless the car was sitting still and turned off. With this one it’s awesome. Also, the 2LT and 3LT packages come with the front camera that will help you avoid damaging the front end. To me, not having 2LT or 3LT is a deal breaker. If you consider a 3LT, read up here about issues with leather separating from the dash near the air defrost vents. Same as lowering, there will be several people that come on here and tell you they have a 3LT with no issues, but if you do have that issue it’s an expensive ( and often NOT permanent) fix. I believe the issue was supposedly corrected for 2019 models, maybe 2018? As mentioned before the air dam underneath does not show and it doesn’t hurt when it scrapes. It can be replaced. One last thing although I like the magnetic ride, many extended warranties do not cover replacement of the shocks.
Best thing you can do is spend at least a month here reading up in the C7 section before you buy, that way you will be educated on the all of the pros and cons of various options etc. for the C7 Corvette. Buy the newest one you can afford with the least miles, and no modifications. I wouldn’t buy anything other than a completely stock Corvette.
Enjoy. You’re going to love it! As you look at various candidates for purchase, tell us what you’re looking at. We all like to give advice when spending other People’s money
Last edited by need-for-speed; Apr 11, 2021 at 10:15 PM.
Ride height - i’m surprised nobody has brought up the issue of lowering the car. A popular modification made on Corvettes is to lower the ride height because it’s fairly easy to do. People that lower their cars quite a bit have to be very careful about driveways speed bumps etc. (there will be several that claim theirs is lowered and it’s not an issue to them though LOL ) The car is low enough with its factory settings and still looks great. I always leave my ride heights alone. I do not have any significant issues scraping stuff, but it it is different than a regular car. As long as you treat it as such it won’t be a problem, unless you live in a very hilly area. You did not mention where you live. If you live in an area with very steep driveway aprons, it can be a problem but for most of is, it’s not. Since you are buying used, I would make sure the car has not been lowered.
This is my third Corvette and the first one with magnetic ride. I absolutely love it. It would be on my shortlist of desirable items, but not a deal breaker. Also, regarding trim level, everybody’s going to tell you to buy whatever trim level they have. Ignore them and listen to me. I have a 2LT. That’s the one you want to get It’s the sweet spot between pricing and value. I absolutely love the Bose stereo with the subwoofer. It’s the first Bose equipped GM vehicle I’ve ever owned and actually has a good stereo in it. The Bose stereo in my first two Corvettes sucked. There was absolutely no bass unless the car was sitting still and turned off. With this one it’s awesome. Also, the 2LT and 3LT packages come with the front camera that will help you avoid damaging the front end. To me, not having 2LT or 3LT is a deal breaker. If you consider a 3LT, read up here about issues with leather separating from the dash near the air defrost vents. Same as lowering, there will be several people that come on here and tell you they have a 3LT with no issues, but if you do have that issue it’s an expensive ( and often NOT permanent) fix. I believe the issue was supposedly corrected for 2019 models, maybe 2018? As mentioned before the air dam underneath does not show and it doesn’t hurt when it scrapes. It can be replaced. One last thing although I like the magnetic ride, many extended warranties do not cover replacement.
Best thing you can do is spend at least a month here reading up in the C7 section before you buy, that way you will be educated on the all of the pros and cons of various options etc. for the C7 Corvette. Buy the newest one you can afford with the least miles, and no modifications. I wouldn’t buy anything other than a completely stock Corvette.
Enjoy. You’re going to love it! As you look at various candidates for purchase, tell us what you’re looking at. We all like to give advice when spending other People’s money
Ride height - i’m surprised nobody has brought up the issue of lowering the car. A popular modification made on Corvettes is to lower the ride height because it’s fairly easy to do. People that lower their cars quite a bit have to be very careful about driveways speed bumps etc. (there will be several that claim theirs is lowered and it’s not an issue to them though LOL ) The car is low enough with its factory settings and still looks great. I always leave my ride heights alone. I do not have any significant issues scraping stuff, but it it is different than a regular car. As long as you treat it as such it won’t be a problem, unless you live in a very hilly area. You did not mention where you live. If you live in an area with very steep driveway aprons, it can be a problem but for most of is, it’s not. Since you are buying used, I would make sure the car has not been lowered.
This is my third Corvette and the first one with magnetic ride. I absolutely love it. It would be on my shortlist of desirable items, but not a deal breaker. Also, regarding trim level, everybody’s going to tell you to buy whatever trim level they have. Ignore them and listen to me. I have a 2LT. That’s the one you want to get It’s the sweet spot between pricing and value. I absolutely love the Bose stereo with the subwoofer. It’s the first Bose equipped GM vehicle I’ve ever owned and actually has a good stereo in it. The Bose stereo in my first two Corvettes sucked. There was absolutely no bass unless the car was sitting still and turned off. With this one it’s awesome. Also, the 2LT and 3LT packages come with the front camera that will help you avoid damaging the front end. To me, not having 2LT or 3LT is a deal breaker. If you consider a 3LT, read up here about issues with leather separating from the dash near the air defrost vents. Same as lowering, there will be several people that come on here and tell you they have a 3LT with no issues, but if you do have that issue it’s an expensive ( and often NOT permanent) fix. I believe the issue was supposedly corrected for 2019 models, maybe 2018? As mentioned before the air dam underneath does not show and it doesn’t hurt when it scrapes. It can be replaced. One last thing although I like the magnetic ride, many extended warranties do not cover replacement.
Best thing you can do is spend at least a month here reading up in the C7 section before you buy, that way you will be educated on the all of the pros and cons of various options etc. for the C7 Corvette. Buy the newest one you can afford with the least miles, and no modifications. I wouldn’t buy anything other than a completely stock Corvette.
Enjoy. You’re going to love it! As you look at various candidates for purchase, tell us what you’re looking at. We all like to give advice when spending other People’s money
Thank you, Sir - that's already a wealth of knowledge you've kindly offered.
I joke with friends that to own a modern Corvette you must re-learn the skill of driving, and there's actually some truth to it. First, curbs are your mortal enemy, especially if you have a car with a front splitter (stock on GS and Z06), as it will almost never clear and could damage it at least cosmetically. The air dam isn't so much of a concern, as it's flexible and designed to make contact with the road occasionally, which is not to say it will not break. Both are relatively cheap to replace if necessary.
Wheels are a more dire concern, as you don't want to make contact with a curb while parallel parking, for example. The wheels aren't as protected by the tires like in most other cars and are very vulnerable. None of this should influence your decision to buy a C7 or any other low-slung sports car, IMO, as it only takes some extra care when parking, entering uneven road surfaces, etc. If you get a 2016 or later with 2LT or 3LT it will have front cameras which help to avoid curbs to the front, and earlier cars or later 1LTs can be retrofitted with devices like Curb Alert.
MRC (mag ride) shocks can leak and some here have reported issues, but after four years mine are still dry and faultless. I could live without it since I never take my car higher than Tour Mode, so the adjustability is not a factor for me. One option I would not miss out on is NPP (performance exhaust), as the sound it produces is too melodious to describe in words. Maybe the automotive version of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.
I joke with friends that to own a modern Corvette you must re-learn the skill of driving, and there's actually some truth to it. First, curbs are your mortal enemy, especially if you have a car with a front splitter (stock on GS and Z06), as it will almost never clear and could damage it at least cosmetically. The air dam isn't so much of a concern, as it's flexible and designed to make contact with the road occasionally, which is not to say it will not break. Both are relatively cheap to replace if necessary.
Wheels are a more dire concern, as you don't want to make contact with a curb while parallel parking, for example. The wheels aren't as protected by the tires like in most other cars and are very vulnerable. None of this should influence your decision to buy a C7 or any other low-slung sports car, IMO, as it only takes some extra care when parking, entering uneven road surfaces, etc. If you get a 2016 or later it will have front cameras which help to avoid curbs to the front, and earlier cars can be retrofitted with devices like Curb Alert.
MRC (mag ride) shocks can leak and some here have reported issues, but after four years mine are still dry and faultless. I could live without it since I never take my car higher than Tour Mode, so the adjustability is not a factor for me. One option I would not miss out on is NPP (performance exhaust), as the sound it produces is too melodious to describe in words. Maybe the automotive version of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.
Hi folks, I'm "can't sleep" excited about diving in and purchasing a C7, which will be my first Corvette. I'm in my 50s, have wanted one since I was a little boy, and have two nagging concerns that I'm struggling with.
Ride Height; honestly, is the ride height something that's of constant concern, or something to just be aware of, or am I obsessing about a potential minor issue needlessly? For example, will taking a speed hump (hump, not bump) at less than a crawl, or traversing a moderately steep pavement dip from the road to a parking lot - where the road intersects with the apron - always be a potential cause of damage, be it cosmetic or mechanical?
Magnetic Ride Suspension; as I'll be buying used, is the magnetic ride suspension option durable if not abused, or is it something that can be expected to degrade or even break over time, and if so, does it absolutely break the bank in repair?
Thank you in advance for any thoughts or wisdom that you can offer. Mods, if I've posted this in the inappropriate forum, my apologies and please place me where appropriate.
If youve wanted one all your life, there’s only one thing to do. Buy one. Dont worry about that stuff. Do you have some particular areas you know you will have to drivein/out of that concern you? Eg a vary steep driveway? Odds are it wont be an issue. Mine is steep, I do not have the lowest front air damn installed but I do have the splitter, and a dead slow approach cutting across the transition to the driveway slope at a sharp angle works every time with no scraping.
I have a 2019 GS and Ive learned how to drive here on the streets of Brooklyn. Scrapping is a way of life but you can mitigate it by taking speed bumps at an angle or better yet don't go down those roads. After a couple of scraps (which required a Delco black touch up pen on my side skirts) I learned you will too just avoid steep driveways
Ride Height - this is only a problem if your not careful or have the Carbon Fiber front splitter (which is an expensive accident waiting to happen). While the C7 is low my previous 350Z was actually lower. The problem with the C7 is the long hood and front overhang. Depending on the angle the length of car requires more room to avoid bottoming out. Challenges will come up so you have to be prepared. For example I once pulled into a hotel with a steep incline where it was obviously going to be a problem so I drove around and found a second entrance which was easier to manage. If you are accustom to a go-anywhere truck or SUV its will be a big change, but you adapt.
One of the bigger issues regarding height is not being able to see beyond or around other cars. At times I've been nearly stranded trying to make a left across traffic because shrubs, bushes or other vehicles completely block my vision down the road. People sitting behind you in SUVs will get frustrated. With all the pickups and SUVs on the road these days it can feel like your below the waterline in a submarine.
Magnetic Ride Suspension - the mag-ride is know to leak and expensive to repair compared to normal shocks. However the risk is well worth it... the car rides so good it has completely spoiled me. You can go from a smooth cruiser to an on-rails track machine with a twist of a ****. I would not get a C7 without it - its that good!
A 2LT with NPP exhaust is the sweet spot in the C7 line up - it gives you everything you really want / need in a Corvette.
Just bought my second Vette. First (C5) at 49 and second (C7 17 Stingray) at 51. Pull the trigger, read the forum and take it easy. If the car hasn’t been lowered on stock bolts, drive for a while before considering lowering it. Does help some with handling and look but probably not enough to be worth losing ride comfort and clearance. My 17 doesn’t have mag ride. If you can get it, get it. If you find the Vette you want without it, you won’t miss what you never had.
You’ll never regret owning a Corvette. There are faster and fancier cars but they will never be all that you will be driving
Last edited by Brunello; Apr 12, 2021 at 12:44 PM.
Before I owned a Corvette I wondered why I saw so many of them backed into parking places rather than nosed in. Now I know.
You will learn to recognize dips and bumps that need to be approached with caution and/or differing strategies. Take it easy at first and get it figured out.
It’s the sweet spot between pricing and value. I absolutely love the Bose stereo with the subwoofer. It’s the first Bose equipped GM vehicle I’ve ever owned and actually has a good stereo in it. The Bose stereo in my first two Corvettes sucked. There was absolutely no bass unless the car was sitting still and turned off. With this one it’s awesome. Also, the 2LT and 3LT packages come with the front camera that will help you avoid damaging the front end. To me, not having 2LT or 3LT is a deal breaker. If you consider a 3LT, read up here about issues with leather separating from the dash near the air defrost vents. Same as lowering, there will be several people that come on here and tell you they have a 3LT with no issues, but if you do have that issue it’s an expensive ( and often NOT permanent) fix. I believe the issue was supposedly corrected for 2019 models, maybe 2018? As mentioned before the air dam underneath does not show and it doesn’t hurt when it scrapes. It can be replaced. One last thing although I like the magnetic ride, many extended warranties do not cover replacement of the shocks. 
