I'm looking at a '87 Turbo (among other years/models) that has front airbags. I'm thinking this is an advantage. However what is the actual dependability of an airbag in a 25 year old car? Any way to verify (besides an accident)? Worth replacing? Or should it actually still function fine (won't go off when it's not supposed to or will when it is). Thanks.

 

They are first gen bags and they can still pop, Treat them with respect. I don't know if new replacements are really "new", but they likely cost about as much as the car your looking at.

 

25 years old airbags are not an advantage. If anything they are a risk. you only need a blip of positive on airbag wire and it explodes it to your face. Old wiring can develop all sorts of tricks.

 

The only advantage is bragging rights that you own the first car model with an airbag.

 

This is just the excuse I need to get a sport wheel.

 

There was a recent post on the Facebook post of a wrecked car and the airbags deployed as they should.


It was the first car in the USA with airbags as a standard feature.

There were other cars with or airbags as an option. Mercedes had one in 1981!

 

The airbags will likely still work without issue. The issue with bags that old is premature deployment, lol. We have seen numerous street cars in HPDE events blow the airbags when they ran over a rough gator/curbing on track. Not sure that I have ever heard of it happening on the street, but you never know.