Hit a deer the other morning and both airbags deployed. Not much external damage but the passenger airbag split my dash. Can I use a new edge dash? Just trying to widen my options.
In a short no. The electronics/electrical is VERY different between 98 and older and 99+. The dash may fit physically (doubtful) but there will be many electrical connectors that won't match up. Worse yet is that some will actually match up but the pin assignments will be different.
Search car-part.com and find a dash from the correct model year if looking for a "plug and play" experience. Recommend that you not "assume" that all 99-04's are the same. There ARE differences between 99-00 and 01+.
It may work to use a 98 dash in a 97. But there again there could be differences in the electrical that may bite.
The answer wmburns gave is correct; up to a point. The wiring harness won't work between the years. However, the physical dash is the same from 1994 to 2004. The other side of the answer is that the wiring harnesses can be swapped over from your dash to the newer style dash. I did this on my 1995 GT and am about to do it on my 1996 GT. In both cases I used a double-DIN 2002 or 2003 dash. It takes about 35 to 40 minutes to pull the harness. Take pictures so you get the location of the connectors right. It isn't that much extra work and the new dashes give you the ability to have the double-DIN radio and a backup camera, which is what I did on my 95. Give yourself a weekend and don't rush. It's better if you have someone to help pull it out and put it into place.