Originally Posted by Jeremy5848

When I had ignition switch problems with my '96, everyone told horror stories of $500 components, having to go to the dealer for reprogramming, etc. What I eventually found was a simple mechanical switch made up of wipers and contacts and no electronics at all.

Apparently, "everyone" had '98-99 models with the electronic key. Since that episode I have been trying to find someone with a '97 to tell me what their key is like. Thank you for finally answering my question. It seems that the break point (for models sold in the US of A) was between 1997 and 1998.

Jeremy