Stability control on a Corolla LE?

My '92 Corolla Wagon is pretty stable if I don't drive it like a crazy person.

It stops in a straight line.

I KNOW that was not what you wanted to hear....LOL

Interesting reasoning behind your vehicle choices! At this risk of stating the obvious, the best place to find a Corolla with VSC is at a Toyota dealership. A larger one is more likely to have one in stock, and if they do not, they have a more accurate system for searching other dealers' inventories and can search by option.

Yep, and my friend Herm's 1992 Corolla sedan with just under 200K miles still runs like a top, though the speedometer stopped working recently so he won't know when he crosses the magic 200K threshold.

I hear ya. As noted in my original post, I tend to be skeptical of "smart" systems in cars that take over for the driver during a tense situation. To me that's a bit too much like the machines slowly taking over the world.

But....the more I read about and think about stability control, the more I like it, IF the system is properly designed. I've yet to read a negative review of it anywhere, so that seems to answer that concern.

The criticisms I've read are

1. Stability control prevents a top-notch driver from pushing a world-class performance car to its limits; and

1. It gives really bad/risky drivers a false sense of security which might lead them to push the car beyond its limits no matter what safety systems are in place.

There might be a grain of truth to this, but I will never be a really bad driver nor will I ever be a world-class driver, nor am I likely to drive a high-performance sports car anytime soon.

I am an above-average but far from world-class American driver who spends long hours on the road, both highway and town, sometimes in heavy traffic, fierce weather, slippery conditions, etc. I need a reliable ride and can afford a decent car, but not a luxury car.

For me and the majority of drivers out there who come anywhere near the above description, stability control can save lives.

Safety, reliability, economy, North American production plants, 38 mpg and $3/gallon gas all lead me toward the Corolla....if I can find one with stability control.

How many miles do you have on your '92 Corolla wagon?

Regards, Eric M

My Air Force Son bought a new Corolla S stick.

He wanted black and ABS.

He got black without ABS.

It drives just fine and stops straight.

I think he will be happy as the years and miles build up.

The less 'systems' you have to 'help' you, the better in my opinion. That is less 'systems' to break.....and a hell of a lot less money to fix em.

hehe like everything else you post.

Yep, you've got a point. I could argue either side of ABS as an option on its own.

BUT if stability control (ABS+traction control+electronic brake assistance+yaw/spin control) works as well as all the data so far indicates, then it's worth the extra money to purchase and maintain it.

The problem is you can't really test-drive stability control to see if it suits you. It only kicks in a hairy situation or emergency that won't crop up on a test drive, at least if you don't want the salesman to have a heart attack.

One problem with Toyota is how they bundle together their options and safety equipment into packages. In this case you cannot get the side/curtain airbags without ABS and vice versa. They are bundled together.

I would never buy a new compact car that did not have side airbags, but if VSC/ESC is not available, then like you I would be tempted to save money and bag the ABS. With Toyota you can't do that, at least in models in stock at all the dealers near me.

Regards, Eric M