Veteran with 224-mile commute surprised with new car from SoCal Honda Dealers

TORRANCE, Calif. (KABC) -- Arriving home after his 224-mile, four-and-a-half hour commute to and from work, Leon Prechtl was surprised with a brand new car from Southern California Honda Dealers Association.

The Navy veteran got a job as an engineer in the Mojave Desert, but his family has to stay in Torrance near his special-needs son's medical specialists and school. He gets up every day long before the sun comes up and drives a car with 200,000 miles on it, getting home late every evening.

"Sometimes that's only an hour of time that I actually really get with family at night," Prechtl told ABC7.

"He's sacrificed a lot for us to be able to stay in this family for our family and our son," Prechtl's wife Kirsten added.

Now his long commute will still be there, but it will at least be a little more comfortable without the worry of breaking down.

"Leon has done a lot for his family. He has one of the roughest commutes that we've seen and we feel very happy and fulfilled that we get to help him out," Mario Ardile, Southern California Honda Dealers Association's Helpful Honda Guy, said.