2005/2006 Stereo Install in Base Model is a Different Beast

I always assumed the only difference in radio installs for a Cobalt was just 05/06 vs 07/10. I just learned they are not the same at all. With a Metra 70-2103 you usually just pull the 15 amp sunroof fuse from slot 20, slide the copper connector onto one of the fuse arms, and put the fuse back in and connect the red wire to the copper "fuse tap" (as Metra calls it though I think of a proper fuse tap as something that holds a fuse, not just a chunk of metal attached to a fuse and connecting a wire to the fuse directly).

The procedure above doesn't work on a base model with manual locks and manual windows and no cruise control, amp, etc. You literally cannot add a fuse to any open slot in the fusebox. They will not hold and just fall out. There are only about a dozen fuses in a base model, and that's what you're stuck wiring it to. I just tried the radio fuse and that somehow causes the stereo to stay on after the car is off and the doors have been opened. I've tried a few others, and it doesn't turn on and stay on with the car running.

I've spent a good hour reading through various threads on this forum about installing a stereo in a base model with no options and I haven't seen a solution. I've seen some of the same problems (fuses can't be added, connecting to radio fuse doesn't work). When you're missing not just a sunroof, but all options, this gets pretty messy.

I'm increasingly thinking the only way to do this is to just wind the red and yellow wires on the stereo up together and hook them both up to the yellow on the Metra. I know that can cause the memory to clear every time you turn the car on/off, but I don't know what else to try. Has anyone tried this? I'm about out of options.