Looking for an opinion here. Do you think the Side Airbag option is important ?
I am asking because aside from the cost, I have found a couple of cars that I would consider buying but they do not have this option.
TIA.

 

My car does not have side impact AB,

I wish it did. I was in the same situation as you. I would have liked to have them though. I just could not find a car with them, with the DVD Nav, unless ordered it.

The cost should not be a factor, they are only $500.00 after all.

You cant say if they are worth it or not. You will never know this until you need them.

Have they saved lives? Yes, they have. Have people walked away without them, yes!

So I would get them,
Eric

 

If safety is a factor for you and the extra cost wasn't an issue, then I would certainly get them, imo.

 

My guess is they are only important if you need them!

Hopefully that never happens.

But as they say, it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!

 

I wouldnt base the decision of what car to buy on whether you can get side air bags or not. but if you do get a car that has them as an option, might wanna get em. I didnt, but only for the same reason as the other guy, it wasnt in the car that was on the lot. if I had ordered the car, SAB would have been on the order.

what other cars are you considering, not many cars dont atleast offer them at this point...

 

Thanks.

The reason I asked is that s few of the cars on the lot that I am considering (touring and track models) do not have them and I would like them. Just trying to determine if I should keep looking or not.

 

My Z has side and curtain airbags as well as my wife's G35 Sedan.I insisted on this option,even my commuter Accord has side airbags.You can never be too safe.

 

I just picked up my track last night....side airbags were very important in my opinion.....you can never be too safe.

 

I passed on the opportunity to purchase other Performance models because they had no side/head bags. Life is fragile and $500 bucks is nothing when it comes to protecting yourself and your loved ones.

 

I agree with everybody who ordered the optional side airbags/curtains option. So did I...

However, I still have my Recaros waiting for new rails... since I am not very happy with the overall comfort of the stock seats.

This is a sad tradeoff.. but I want the driving comfort....IMHO

 

Definitely, always safety first! If you can get them - do. When I made the decision, I hadn't seen any crash test results but even after seeing some I feel safer having them than not.

I do have a question for those who have opted for this additional feature. I was told, by the Nissan salesman, that there was a marked "discount" for choosing this safety option. However, after purchase, I was told by my long time insurer (State Farm) there is no discount offered for the side curtain and seat airbags. Has anyone else discussed this with their insurance agent to find, in the eyes of the insurance company, it holds less weight than a passive alarm system?

Perhaps my priorities are a little different than my current auto insurer.

 

If you never get hit from the side, they are not important at all.

If you DO get hit from the side they might become VERY important.

If you are trying to decide how likely you are to "use" them you could go a site with traffic collision data and see how many side impacts there are (compared with other types of accidents).

I would take the bags on any car that offered them, but I would not discount a car that doesn't offer them just because of that.

Just my $0.02

 

In NJ, at least where I get my insurance, the extra active restraint systems like side curtain airbags lower your collision insurance.

On top of that benefit, its my honest opinion that they are necessary. Even if you are building a track car, they could save your life or the life of a loved one in a crash. If you have the option of getting one, I see no reason not to. It's only gonna raise your monthly payment a few bucks if at all.