Bruiser wrote @ July 20, 2007 at 9:34 am

A friend of mine had a Pontiac Bonneville several years ago and had the same thing happen. But then the chip was visible on the key. Cost him like $200 to get his key replaced. It’s a scam.

  Raivynn wrote @ July 20, 2007 at 10:21 am

I drive a ‘96 Explorer. It has held up pretty well, considering my less than stellar maintenance of it. I had a ‘91 Cavalier that had more troubles, with better upkeep. My ‘91 Bonneville was a lemon. My favorite car, also my first, was a ‘79 Fairmont Coupe. That thing was a rock … until the engine finally blew around 88 … oil leak and i drove it 40 miles down country roads to get home. hehe I killed it.

The most solid car i had was .. a Renault alliance. Yup, the little French cars.

  brandon wrote @ July 22, 2007 at 3:33 pm

If you want less technology, the answer isn’t foreign or domestic, the answer is old. My VW has a $350 key. It keeps it from ever getting stolen even in the middle of Dallas. (like my wife’s Honda did 4 years ago) They gave me two keys and told me not to lose them because they were very expensive. I got fair warning and am glad to be taken care of.

If you want to take care of yourself, old pickups and jeeps will leave you alone. The key replacements are $2 form the hardware store and the only way the window won’t roll don’t is if you break you arm and can’t use the lever. However, take if from a guy that went minimal for 5 years in a “burden free” Jeep Wrangler. Things like AC, airbags, power windows, electronically controlled fuel injection, dash warning lights, fuel gages, all make a car harder to work on and more expensive to replace, but they are easily taken for granted until they are missing. Any car company that made cars without those things, would go out of business because no one would buy them.

My advice: you can be upset that it costs a lot, and mad at yourself for losing a very expensive key, but you can’t fault a company for doing what it has to do to stay competitive and trying to protect your car. Maybe in your town theft deterrent isn’t a big deal, but I assure you that many Ford Minivan owners live in areas where it’s very helpful. You are one out of millions my friend. They didn’t make that car just for you and they certainly didn’t put a chip in the key just to get money out of you.

  Tom3 wrote @ July 22, 2007 at 8:21 pm

Brandon, I would have to agree with you on this. Russ, what is your deal with someone trying to make money? There are plenty of expenses I would rather not have yet understand that is what makes capitalism great. Make your own product and charge what you feel is a good price, if people buy it good for you. Come on get a grip, you buy cable right, yet don’t you if you want to watch more football have to pay extra. What about a movie, extra. Why isn’t it just cable and I get it. That is so unfair (sarcasm). What about kid electronic games that don’t come with batteries or why doesn’t the hot dog company and the bun comany get together so we don’t have to buy extra buns. Maybe that is a scam. Sorry bro but this is silly.

  sam wrote @ July 23, 2007 at 7:20 am

Yeah, and don’t buy foreign either. A friend of mine just got a Saab, and the key costs $2000 to replace…. technology advances, and so do the costs… I remember when TV and RADIO were free

  Victor Estrada wrote @ July 23, 2007 at 2:42 pm

I know there is some sort of deal where you can sacrifice one key and be able to buy those $2 keys to replace it. It’s something like taking the chip out of the key and putting it close to the ignition. It solves the problem of the $80 key though.