Of course you will not have the same functionality and updated code like the twentyfourteen theme, because simply twentyfourteen is newer and compatible with WordPress 3.8 <
I may suggest some starter themes:
Those themes will get you on the start track, they are also frequently updated, so don't worry about code compatibility.
When using a starter theme, it's not always recommended to built using a child theme, not all of the starters are meant to be this way, however building a child theme will allow you to easily update the core theme while continue using your customized one.