Just bought another used car & I thought I got a real bargain. It is exceptionally well looked after, super clean etc. (detailers deserve a medal I suppose).
Upon getting home I realised that the second key only unlocks but doesn't lock the doors. Must be a fault in the little motherboard. Anyhow, called the spare parts head office to get a new spare. "No problem" I was told & a couple of minutes later I was told $852.- plus $25.- cutting Plus postage !
Pew ! I expected it to be a third of that. Anyhow, called several car locksmiths & a few of them said "No problem, just bring the car in & we'll cut a new key".
Now, living some 400km from the nearest agent makes this a real challenge. Why does Govt allow such exploitation ? One would think the manufacturers could provide a key's PIN & ID to the buyer so it could be obtained without having to drive so far ?

Not sure why no one has answered your point is well made
Here, 40 klm from a shop, a key cutter could cut a second key for about twenty bucks
Not one that would be press button but would open every thing
Just about to buy second hand 4x4 mine is a bit rough but drives great,rego however has become a trap
Thieves find faults that do not exist, then charge you the earth before giving you the paper work to re register

I have duplicated keys a few times over the lifetime of my car, I think it costed $5 or $7.

I do my best to take care and preserve my 1992 car forever - no computer, no motherboard, no dependence on any head office, any local mechanic would do. If only I could buy a new one like this!

I am told that in new cars, passengers do not even have a knob to open their door - a jail on wheels with no way to open the door mechanically and if something happens to the battery or electronics, only the fire brigade could extricate an elderly passenger from her back seat who is not athletic enough to climb over to the driver's seat. Just imagine an accident knocked down the computer or battery and jammed the driver's door...

https://www.choice.com.au/transport/cars/accessories/articles/replacing-modern-car-keys

Belly & Yuyutsu,
Cheers for your very valid comments. The above exposes the entrapment tactics of the modern car industry.
If the link doesn't work try without the s in https.
In my area I'll need to drive 400-600km each way to get a spare car key & if I lose or ruin my key I'll have to have the car transported that far to get a new key cut. This would cost thousands because even the insurance policy has a maximum of 100km towing.
This is nothing short of criminal entrapment & Govts must interfere. There is no technical reason other than total consumer exploitation that a car needs to be taken to a specialised service centre for a new ignition key. The computer in a car could have a PIN # to be driven but that'd not make the insane profits these companies are used to. If you live within 100km of a service centre then yes, it's acceptable but what of those people living way out in the country ? For them it is literally unaffordable to have a later model car. To add insult to injury, my near $900 car key is not even rain-proof ! In this day & age a car key should be environment resistant & have a gps locator. If that;s not possible then don't have a computerised car key ! The racket needs to be hit on the head !

Dear individual,

Join the long list of people who have to experience the endless product defects in what we buy nowadays. The only thing that will make people who sell us goods and services toe the line is having statutory agencies regulating transactions. But according to politicians, bureaucrats and business people self-regulation takes care of itself. Now if you tell me they are lying to us I might promise to stop saying you are suffering from paranoid delusion.

New cars can be great. Our last new car, my ladies Mazda 2 did 187,000 kilometres without needing more than a couple of light bulbs.

They can of course be garbage, my last company car spent 3 of it's first 16 months sitting at the dealers waiting for warranty replacement parts to come from France. It was French of course, so what else would expect.

My car is a 1980 Triumph TR7, a 2 seater sports car. 20 years ago, when the kids stopped riding horses, I bought 2 of these, not going, for the princely sum of $1200. One had a very good body, so I spent 2 years fitting all the best parts to that. With a few new parts, & a home spray paint job, I had a car that looked pretty good, & ran beautifully for under $5000.

It is the nicest car to drive I've ever had, & has been very reliable. 4 years ago after 78,000 kilometres I decided to do it up big time. I rebuilt the engine & brakes, replaced every bit of rubber on the car. I counted 127 paint chips on my home paint job, so gave it an expensive bare metal professional paint job.

Big Mistake.

It still only owes me $15000, so still cheap motoring, but is now so beautiful I won't park it in shopping centre car parks, so I enjoy it less often, driving my 17 year old shopping trolley hatch instead.

The moral, get an old car you like, & do it up. I know a couple of old world mechanics, who still can, & don't charge the earth if you are not mechanical.

I know a lot of people who would pay a lot of money for a new 1960s car. I'll have a 68 Monaro thanks.