Should I avoid buying a used car that only comes with one key?
My sons have seen a number of decent FSH used cars (keyless entry and start) at reputable dealers (but not franchised) but have been put off when they find these only have one key. My take on this is that on buying, they'd have to get a franchised dealer to completely reset the system and assign two new keys to be completely secure and insurable, which I believe would be at a cost of maybe £500+ ? Am I being unreasonable and should we just give these 1 key vehicles a wide berth?
Asked on 29 April 2024 by Roarke
Answered by
David Ross
Although the ideal scenario when buying a used car is to have two factory keys, just having one key should not necessarily mean you should rule a car out. Depending on the exact model of vehicle, automotive locksmiths can provide and code duplicate keys, and in some cases deactivate any other keys, so you can be sure that the keys in your possession are the only ones that can be used with the vehicle. An automotive locksmith will also likely be able to provide this service more cheaply than a main dealer.
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