I just got this car and today was the first time I drove it. I noticed the airbag light stayed on. How worried should I be? Is it going to blow up in my face?
What should I check?

 

is it flashing when you turn on the key and then come on all the time. if so count flashes.

 

It may help to download a copy of a factory service manual to help with trouble shooting your problem. The 1997 manual is not available at this link, but the 1998 manual troubleshooting charts seems to be the same when I compared it to the paper copy of the 1997 manual I have. It would also help having access to a scanner capable of reading trouble codes from the SIR system. Read all the warnings before you start, follow the appropriate trouble chart and you shouldn't have a problem with setting the bags off.

 

The light on means the air bag is disarmed. Could be a bad impact sensor, or any of the wiring associated to the system.