ferrarirocks

Was chatting with a friend yesterday and he mentioned he never buys the first model year of a new generation because of all the teething troubles seen in the first year. Given that I work in tech, I agree and its been my experience with hardware products that the second model year is always worth more money for your buck in the long run, as they learn a lot from the feedback of the first model year which is incorporated into the second model year.

This is my first corvette ever and I'm excited about the C8, but sometime it worries me if I am making the correct financial decision. How do you folks feel about this? What are the likely disadvantages going by past generations of buying a first model year Corvette?

1 of 220

I have a 2014 first year C7. It's the best car I have ever had - absolutely flawless. First year worries? That's what the warranty is for.

BTW, I have a deposit down on a C8. I recommend that you go for it. Life is short

pietro c7

I’m in exactly the same situation ....
With that said,waiting for a second year car is a very sensible decision .

Zymurgy

The first year of the C7 was probably the least troublesome year primarily due to all the problems with the A8 transmission that was introduced in 2015. Now days they do so much computer validation and modeling that the "first year" adage is really out of date. I can't wait to get my first year C8.

BIG Dave

Owned a first year C6. One issue, noisy clutch packings in the rearend, fixed in one visit to the dealer. Sold it in 2010 with 70K miles on it. Currently own a first year C7. Has 38K miles on it. So far, just one issue, bad ribbon cable leading to the NAV unit, fixed in one visit to the dealer. Not concerned with any potential first year issues with the C8. I have one on order, looking at late Spring delivery.

C8broughtmeback

I dont understand why automakers even come out with the first year of new models. Why can't they just begin with year 2?!

MikeC4C5C6...C7

C4 I should have waited. 11 recalls. Next year had 30 more HP.

But that was 37 years ago! (My wife must be getting old....). My first year C5, C6 and C7 were all great cars.

Snowwolfe

Wait for the 2nd year model. Then the rumors will leak about the next year model having more HP and improvements in the suspension and audio.
Then what will you do?

BADBIRDCAGE

Great comparison. New car v new computer program. Which one will affect more people if/when something goes wrong?

jcapps

Right financial decision? If you are doubting your ability to afford one while being fiscally responsible, you should bow out

green2000

I got my 2014 Stingray in Oct 2013 and the only issue was the garage door buttons stopped working on the sunvisor. The 2015 had plenty of issues with the 8 speed auto.

JF in MI

Very sensible precaution. Exactly why I bought a new 2018 Malibu last spring rather than a 2019 with the new "constant speed" transmission. In this case, however, I'm getting older by the minute and there may not be a 2021 option for me.

2vette2

Picked up my 2014 C7 in November of 2013. 35,000 miles later, no issues to speak of. Hope I did not just jinx myself. LOL. Deposit down of a C8.

jimmypop13

I got a first year 2016 Camaro SS. I know it's not a Vette but it wasn't that long ago and it's Chevy. The car did have some initial issues but they were all fixed under warranty. The downside is you are without your brand new car a lot. First issue was the gas gauge died on the way home from the dealership. They had to drop the tank and found the sensor was bent upon removal. Then the exhaust valves on the npp began to rattle. They had to order a new cat back. The rattle returned a few months later and they had to bring in an engineer to come up with a new fix which ended up involving epoxy. The touchscreen started randomly going crazy and touching things on the screen. Had to wait for a software update to fix that. Then the a8 transmission started vibrating the car. They flushed it but it returned and needed a new converter. At some point the rear end started moaning when turning and it was cold out. They had to change the fluid. There was also a recall on the oil lines. So I will definitely wait out this first year. Probably just wait for the z06

The Rabbi

Being affordable and Corvette are 2 worlds. The Corvette is a toy and you can't worry about depreciation. Price is expected to go up 2021

Modshack

I've had more than a few first year/ first gen cars from numerous manufacturers. Never an issue, never a problem.

This is an old school worry...

C8Jake

nothing comes to mind

Sin City

I bought the first year C7 and one of the first convertibles. I had no issues with it other than the typical ones that the C7 always had (glue smell for one, poor paint for another).

If anything people complained more about the A8 gearbox in later models than the first gen auto box. I had a manual which made it easier.

Sin City

If GM today was the GM of 37 years ago there would be no GM today

wvanepps

My 2014 Stingray with a manual had a ton of problems (brakes, transmission, removable top, etc.). I also was disappointed that they added so many things in the next couple model years. My 2015 Z06 was the first model year of the Z06 manual and had the overheating issue which was never fixed and had brake problems, transmission problems, and a bunch of minor issues. I appreciate that people that are willing to be beta testers though by buying the first model year. I never will again do that especially since this is such a huge change from previous generations. Mid-engine and a DCT add a huge amount of complexity and, to put it nicely, GM is not known for their quality control.

Here is a break down of the C7 changes from year to year and you will see that the best model year was 2019 with all the fixes and changes. Also the 2018 Carbon 65 Z06 pictures that the video uses was mine up until a few weeks ago and was taken from my YouTube video.