Electronics-less ignition key - Is it possible?
 

Skip to the bold parts at the bottom for the main hypothesis & question, or read the full story. Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere, but unfortunately it looks like the word "key" is too few characters for the search feature here to be of much help here. Onwards:

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Alright, so, I'm the single owner of a 2011 Speed 3, and unfortunately managed to sacrifice one of my 2 original key/key fobs to the snow god Jonas this past weekend. No idea where it is, but let's just assume it's lost and gone forever.

My keys are the 3-button (unlock, lock, panic/hold) variety, as such:

http://i.imgur.com/JPz6ADK.png

...and my Speed3 is the base model - no tech package, no push to start. Two identical keys were provided when I bought it new from the dealer, and I am accordingly down to 1. I'd like to remedy that and get back to 2, possibly 3.

Dealer quotes me at ~$54 for the top portion of the key (the key itself and flipping mechanism), and ~$165 for the bottom portion with the buttons and electronics. Also, there will be a $110 programming fee to get the key to "work." So we're at about $330 to get me a new key. To the internet!

eBay mercifully has full key blanks in a couple options: those which include electronics, and empty shells which do not. The former cost around $35, the latter, $10. Dealer says they'll cut and program as many keys as I'd like (up to ~7) for that flat rate of $110 (total, not per key). Cool. One spare key + programming is now down to ~$145. That's still highway robbery, but hey, I'm already doing better than 50% off the original quote of $330.

Here's the thing though. The battery in my remaining key seems to be dead. Buttons don't have an effect on doors actually locking or unlocking from any range up to and including standing at the driver's side door, but the physical key still unlocks the door, and starts the car. My hypothesis is therefore this: because my car's ignition is still the good old fashioned put-the-key-in-and-twist variety, the programming only applies to remote locking/unlocking, and is not required to start the car.

I don't care about the buttons or remote lock/unlock working. I just want a spare key that starts my car for as cheaply as possible. So my question is:

In a non-tech package, base-trim 2011 Speed 3 with the 3 button remote key, can I just get a "dumb" blank key, cut it to match my existing key, and have that key start my car? Because if I can, then I can get the empty key blank off eBay for $10, get it cut for probably less than $30, and have my spare key for mega cheap.

Anyone with expertise/knowledge/experience in this area care to chime in? Am I off base here?

So 3 things...

1. The key has a chip in it and will need to be programmed to be able to start your car. No way around that, and you can't do it yourself with only 1 key remaining.

2. The battery in the remote portion of your remaining key can be replaced...

3. If you had both your original keys, there was a way to program a third one yourself. But you needed 2 keys programmed to your vehicle to program your own.

You have no choice but to pay the dealer to program your key. Once you have 2 keys then you can think about buying a third to program yourself.

Yup, modern keys are chipped and the ECU won't start the car without it.

Try talking to a local locksmith - they can reprogram keys also and probably for less than the stealership.