Nevada Auto Repair Shop Surprises Veteran with Car Before New Year

Nevada Veteran Ron Selby needed a new vehicle until he was surprised with a free car from a local auto repair shop.

CoAuto in Reno gifted Veteran Ron Selby with a fully repaired 2006 Toyota RAV on Thursday, marking the sixth straight year the shop has provided a veteran with a car, according to KOLO.

Selby thanked each member of the CoAuto for the gesture. The mechanics had been working on the vehicle for a few weeks before it was presented to Selby, who says the gift could not have come at a better time.

“You know I am in and out of the hospital a lot because I have nerve damage and stuff,” he told KOLO. “And financially it is just hard to rise above and do stuff like this. And so, we take our kids to school. We barely got here today.”

He added that he and his family had been highly dependent on rides from friends and others, so they could carry out day-to-day tasks.

The car’s previous owners decided not to make repairs on the vehicle, so CoAuto fixed it up for Selby and his family. 

“This is great for winter conditions,” CoAuto Owner Vinnie Lucido previously told KOLO. “It’s got some good tires on it, and it is 4 wheel drive. Good gas mileage.” 

The shop works with the nonprofit organization Nation’s Finest. The nonprofit’s mission “is to support America’s military veterans and their families with a comprehensive approach to housing, health and employment that helps them achieve self-sufficiency and reach their full potential,” according to its website. 

Nation’s Finest selects the veteran who receives a car each year “and determines the family can handle the responsibility,” KOLO reports. Natalie Stering works with the organization and says Selby fits the mold. 

“He has a stable foundation to support bringing on a vehicle. Registering and insuring it. He also has a need,” Stering said. 

Auto service manager Matt Rubb was honored to surprise Selby. 

“The whole experience was just amazing. It truly was,” Rubb told KOLO. “To just give back to a Veteran in a different way.”

The nonprofit also gifted toys to Selby’s sons, Ryan, Robert, and Ethan. 

KOLO notes that the car is still waiting on an engine, which may take a couple of weeks. After that, the Selby family will be able to hit the road in their Toyota RAV.