[Supreme] Maintaining an S2000 Isn’t About “Money,” It’s About “Love” and “Ingenuity”! Why I Still Rev the VTEC in 2026 After Being Abandoned by Online Insurance.

1. “Despair” and “Choice” in the Name of Insurance

First, listen to this. As of 2026, the insurance situation surrounding our beloved S2000 can be summed up in one word: “Hell.”

I had been using Mitsui Direct—it was cheap, fast, and a lifesaver. But one day, the reality I was faced with was heartless: “Older vehicles are no longer eligible for collision coverage.”

Can you believe this? For a legendary car whose market price is skyrocketing, they are essentially saying it has “Zero Value.” While major traditional insurers might cover it, the premiums would jump through the roof.

After much agonizing, I chose the “No Collision Coverage” strategy—going into battle completely unguarded. I have two reasons:

1. The Fortress of Mechanical Parking: To a car theft ring, my apartment’s multi-level mechanical parking is an “impregnable castle.” I’m betting everything on this security.
2. Overwhelming “Lack of Driving”: Look at my monthly gas bill. It averages 2,000 yen. I spend more time staring at the car than actually driving it. I am lowering the probability of an accident through sheer “obsession.”

2. The Truth Down to the Last Yen: S2000 Monthly Cost Sheet

If you thought, “Hey, I can maintain it for just over 10,000 yen a month,” throw that naive thought away right now. This is merely the “minimum line for survival.”

In addition to oil, I always use WAKO’S engine cleaners (like Fuel One). To protect the heart of a 20-year-old S2000, care with reliable chemicals is indispensable. You can get them cheaper in multi-packs on Amazon Japan, and for owners of older cars, it doesn’t hurt to keep them as a “good luck charm.”

*Note: The links point to Amazon Japan. Please use the product names (e.g., WAKO’S Fuel One) to search in your local store.

【Monthly Conversion: 15,850 JPY】

Does this amount look “cheap” to you? Wrong. This is a miraculous figure based on the assumption that “nothing breaks.”

3. The Next Assassin: The Battle with a 200,000 Yen “Piece of Cloth”

“The S2000 is robust”… that’s what the specialist shops say, and I want to believe them. But mechanical robustness and “aging” are two different problems.

My S2000 is also reaching its limit with “that.” Yes, the soft top.

To maintain the original beauty, you need an investment well over 200,000 yen. 200k for just a piece of cloth. You could buy two of the latest iPhones. However, driving with a raggedy soft top is as unbearable as smearing mud on a tuxedo.

To those of you thinking about buying one: don’t just look at the vehicle price and feel relieved. Are you prepared to drive while holding a “hundred-thousand-yen bomb” at all times?

I took a desperate measure to extend the life of my current top… not realizing it would also become my biggest failure. I’ll talk about that eventually.

4. Conclusion: Still, I Won’t Lift My Foot Off the Pedal

On the highway, fuel economy improves to 12-13 km/L. Surprisingly modern, right?

Calculating maintenance costs, being rejected by insurance, and fearing the price of parts. Objectively speaking, this is nothing but “ascetic training.”

But just once, sit in that cockpit, open the roof, and rev it up to 9,000 RPM. In that instant, all your calculations go straight into the trash can.

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