Me and my car: Daihatsu's Copen concept

It was 2009 and his mother had bought a used Daihatsu Copen. That was when Mr Chiang Ming Yang's interest in cars was piqued.

The video editor at a film production house, who turns 28 this year, recalls being immediately smitten by it. "It's so cute," he says. "And it's an open-top."

The Copen is a subcompact available in Singapore as a parallel import. The two-door mini roadster is powered by a 659cc turbocharged engine with 63bhp.

Soon after he obtained his driving licence in 2013, Mr Chiang got his own Copen, a used 2006 model which cost $67,000. It was a 21st-birthday gift from his parents.

Then in 2016, his dad bought one too. It was also second hand, but a newer version of the car was launched in 2014.

The Chiangs also have a Mercedes-Benz C180 for family outings.

Mr Chiang has a younger brother.

Mr Chiang's Copen was originally red, but he had it resprayed. Its current blue-grey and white two-tone paintwork with chromed highlights and matching shiny dish rims give it a "retro vibe", he says.

There is more customisation inside. The two-seater's black roof lining is studded with more than 1,000 tiny Swarovski crystals, which he glued on himself.

"I wanted the car to be personalised," he says, adding that he has spent $10,000 (including $170 for the crystals) doing it up.

To show that the crystals stay in place, he opened and closed the roof. Nothing was dislodged.

• A tote bag containing work-related equipment such as cameras, laptop and hard disk

Interestingly, he has the words "Financial Mistake" pasted across the rear windscreen.

Although the Copen was a gift, it remains his most expensive possession and the sticker is his own tongue-in-cheek reminder of that fact.

He is a member of an informal convertible car club, which allows him to meet other convertible owners regularly.

"It's more a social club, including wives and girlfriends," he says. "We also share car stories and swop contacts for parts sourcing. At last count, we have 145 members."

Among them are 10 Copen owners, including Mr Chiang's mother.

Cute looks aside, Mr Chiang appreciates that being in the low-slung Copen "feels like sitting in a go-kart". "It's nippy too," he adds.

On a more practical note, he says the car returns 15km on each litre of petrol "when driven judiciously". And its road tax is an affordable $473 a year.

He has no intention of selling his car, having revalidated its certificate of entitlement in 2016.

"I've had several offers, but declined all. I've also grown attached to my 'Financial Mistake'," he says, adding that he has had "many fond memories with it".

An unforgettable one would be him proposing to his girlfriend in the car just last week. The couple plan to use the mini roadster as their wedding car next year.