For me it was a female coworker complimenting my Q50 Redsport. Interned at a 3 letter fed agency last summer and one of the other interns who I became friendly with was a mid 20’s former sorority girl - someone you’d never expect to be a car enthusiast. Gave her a ride after work one day since her car was in the shop and immediately after walking up to my car in the garage, started complimenting it. Talked about the VR30TT engine and asked me if the turbos were giving me any trouble, then talked a little shit about how it’s still slower than her car. I asked her what she drove and she had an M2 lol
“Nice looking car!”
Twice.
The car was covered in dust both times.
Had a 1987 Monte Carlo SS for a little bit (it was stolen from me on Thanksgiving) and I was living in an apartment at the time. I had underground parking, but things got dusty pretty quickly since there was a place nearby that worked in concrete. Anywho. When I bought it, the previous owner had recently gotten a new paint job and found the brightest white I had ever seen. No decals were put back on it, but despite the the thick dust, I got compliments when it was really dusty. Never when it was clean.