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
I have a '22 Kona N-Line, so not a super fast car by any means, with an exhaust, intake, and some boost control bits. On my way to Walmart, which is on this long, straight road, perfect for a little rolling race, and a little white Mini S pulls up alongside me with a young guy in the driver’s seat. I can tell he’s also got an exhaust, he downshifts and I know what’s about to happen. We’re going probably 45, I downshift into 3rd, he does the countdown, and I beat him pretty handily. He ends up also going into Walmart, and I park, and as I’m getting out of the car, this guy must’ve been looking for me and pulls into the spot next to me. Tells me he didn’t think the non-N Konas could go like that, I tell him that I didn’t either and I’m just as surprised as he is (I’ve never really opened it up like that before). He tells me he heard my exhaust, which prompted the race, and asked what else I’ve done to it, I tell him, and we end up sitting in the Walmart parking lot talking about future mods, gripes with our cars, etc. It made me feel kinda good, because this kinda thing never happened to me before, and I’ve never gotten a compliment on my little econobox Kona.