Traction Control System - the Evil Dictator
Traction Control System, or TCS, was well intentioned but didn't necessarily work out well. For one thing, it tends to be a ruthless dictator that often overrides the turbocharger's ability and the driver's desires. There's a really dark side beyond that though: If any part of this complex system fails, the whole system goes into limp-home mode. Limp-home mode is exactly what it sounds like: You have just enough power to get the car home or to the nearest garage, and that's all. If you're in the middle of nowhere, that isn't pleasant. If you're making a left hand turn in heavy traffic and it goes into limp-home mode, you're in deep ... well, let's just call it deep trouble. And once it goes into this mode, the car is pretty much useless until the problem is diagnosed and corrected - you might get it home, but then you have to fix it before you can resume daily driving. And guess what? That can get real, REAL expensive.
Some models have an off-on switch. Some don't. Some can be retrofitted with a switch fairly easily. But even for those that have the switch, if a fault develops, the switch does not override limp-home mode. See what we're up against here?
Most faults seem to be related to faulty connections to wheel sensors, that sort of thing. So if you're smart, brave, mechanically inclined and electrically inclined, you can probably manage this system. If you're at the mercy of others, God help you. Because "others", in this case, generally means the dealer. The dealer's "technicians" may or may not be competent and scrupulous; in any case, it's gonna cost ya. Worst case, the throttle body is electrically controlled, not linked to your foot like most cars; electrically-controlled throttle bodies sound expensive, don't they? Trust me, they are.
Again, if you're smart, brave and inclined toward mechanic-ing and engineering, you can probably manage TCS - most repairs will be cheap and even the most expensive (wheel speed sensors, electric throttle body) will be manageable if you can get used parts. And (with varying difficulty and cost) you can install a switch to override it when it's working. But if you're a typical car buyer and you're not rich, you should definitely be terrified of the three letters "TCS". Ask if the car has it. Don't believe the answer - look at the instrument cluster when you're starting the car. If the car has TCS, those three letters should be displayed somewhere on the dash when you start the car. Toward the bottom, left side, I think.
Here's how TCS was available, to the best of my knowledge:
Optional in 92 & 93
Standard on all 93 Aeros
Optional in 94 & 95 (and equipped with an off/on switch)
Discontinued in 96.
A retrofit switch kit is available for 92 and 93 cars. Installation is fairly straightforward on the '93, but on a '92 it requires upgraded control units and other items, and it can get pretty expensive.