In my research to buy a C7, I've read several articles providing opinions on reliability over the years of production. Of course they conflict with each other, and sometimes with themselves.

I have seen this chart in a few places:

Most Reliable: 2014, 2016,2018
More Troublesome: 2015, 2017,2019

Is this info of any practical value? I feel as if I've passed up some good ones based on this chart, so I'm asking those who know.

 

What is the source?

It strikes me as odd that all the even number years are reliable while all the odd years are unreliable - especially the 2019 which benefits from corrected TSBs and upgraded parts and assembly.

 

My 2015 has been bulletproof

 

My modded '15 has been 100% trouble free. M7, 45k miles.

 

IMO, it's of minimal value. There's no source data, no indication of sample sizes, no information about what constitutes a "reliability" issue, etc.

FWIW, I've had zero reliability issues with either of my '19 Z06s. Stop passing-up potentially good choices - start judging each one individually.

 

They’re Chevrolets. Take your chances!

 

The last year of any production product is a question mark.
All the “common” parts that didn’t fit, were marred or otherwise suspect were thrown back into
the bin and a better part selected from the bin.
Eventually, all the parts will be used. Somehow or somewhere.

 

My 19, M7 has been bullet proof. Only oil changes.

 

22,500 miles on my 2019 Stingray and absolutely no issues.

 

And same with my almost 6 year old 2019 M7...knock on wood but so far ZERO issues!

 

I'd be more concerned with condition and maintenance...and if the car was modded or crashed.

 

I have almost 28,000 on my 2019 A8, the only issue of note was the transmission shudder, which was fixed under warranty.

 

I've had a '14 blue Premier Edition and now I have a '15 blue, Z51 convertible. Both M7's and both 3LT's. Both, no mods. ZERO problems with either. NO DASH issues with either. Bottom line: you like it? Have it checked out by a mechanic you trust and is familiar with Vettes. If YOU like it and it checks out - buy the SOB! Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, YOU'RE the one getting in it! BUT, I'm a stickler about the maintenance being done with the proper parts and usually early....

 

2015 M7 w/ 125km (78k miles) has been my most reliable car ever, in addition to my strict regular maintenance, only a belt tensioner and rear axle seals needed replacement.

 

With all due respect, I disagree. The first year of production is frequently the most troublesome, because so many things are new and untested by owners in the real world. Those issues are usually dealt with by the manufacturer under warranty. Parts, standards, procedures, are updated, TSBs are published, etc and those changes are built into subsequent MY cars, usually improving the customer experience. ('17-'19 Z06 cooling upgrades are a good example of this.) Sometimes, new MYs benefit from upgraded parts for newer versions of the car - like '19 Z06s did with the incorporation of certain things from ZR1 development. (The fuel system and rear diff spider gears are good examples of this.)

 

I had a 2017 Stingray M7 and it ran extremely rough. Sitting at stop lights, I thought it was going to cut off every single time. I put Techron and all kinds of gas treatments in it. And it still ran rough. The car had only 1000 miles on it when I bought it in 2020. I drove it two years and sold it.

 

I don't really see a chart, are you talking about just the list of more relia and more troublesome? What is the basis of this?
My background is mechanical engineering, project management, and reliability engineering of complex systems. A simple list like this is meaningless without details. Then, how is reliability being defined? Breakdowns? Dash Rattles? Blown Engines? Infotainment bugs?
To me that list is useless.
When I bought mine last year I educated myself in the C7 issues and chose accordingly. Didn't see model year as a criteria at least for reliability. I bought a '15. Agree with previous statements that care and maintenance records far more important.

 

this is the first time I’ve ever seen this argument. Probably because it’s completely untrue.

the later cars benefited from everything learned on previous model years.
parts that don’t fit do not get tossed back into a bin and saved for end of production runs lol

 

What the? Jesus man, you are so wrong it’s unbelievable you typed that and actually hit the post button.


Yes very much so, the last year is usually the best. And that holds true with the C7. Shudder issues with the A8 were finally dealt with part way through 2019 production. The MRC calibration is better. Allegedly, the dash leather is more resistant to sun damage. The wheels specifically on the 2019 ZR1 don’t crack. The aforementioned heat treated differential gears. Some changes to the electrical wiring harnesses. Quite a multitude of refinement and countermeasures made their way to the final year car that you’re more or less going to have to live without on earlier year cars.

Working in the car business, I have seen the phenomenon of the first year of a new model being the worst become more and more predominant. All of the brands I work on these days, the launch year is just a catastrophe of cars constantly coming back for recalls and other nuisance stuff that will wind up getting countermeasured or just flat out redesigned the next year. First of of production is pretty much a public beta test now.

 

The 2014 would have a better rating for the auto transmissions because of the A6 vs the A8 shudder issues, all of the widebody cars had wheel cracking issues regardless of the year. All in all, they were reliable cars as were previous generations of Corvettes