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by bombcar 338 days ago
A key is a blank (that has to fit) and then 5 or 6 "teeth" which usually have only 3 or 4 possible depths - that means you have only a few thousand actual possible combinations (some won't work because some locks can't handle two identical in a row, or a tall followed immediately by a short, etc.

Also as cars get older, the ignition and locks get looser until a screwdriver will start it.