Lonnie's University Auto Center

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At Lonnie’s University Auto Center, a delivery driver always parked in the same spot every morning before sunrise. One foggy dawn, he noticed something odd—an old man with a clipboard appeared out of nowhere and started writing down license plate numbers. Curious, the driver approached him and asked what he was doing. The old man replied, ‘Just taking attendance for Lonnie’s University.’ Turned out, it was Lonnie himself, who’d been teaching his employees how to park since they were newbies. Everyone laughed, including the delivery guy, realizing that sometimes life is just as funny as a good joke.

2. One morning, a delivery driver pulled up to Lonnie’s and noticed something odd—every tire on every car in the lot seemed to be pointing in exactly the same direction. Curious, he walked around the cars and found that each one had its tires aligned perfectly straight as an arrow. Confused but intrigued, he went inside and asked Lonnie what was going on. With a twinkle in his eye, Lonnie replied, ‘Oh, I’m just helping these cars get ready for their morning jog.’

3. At Lonnie’s University Auto Center, every morning around eight, an old sign on the wall mysteriously changed its message. First it read ‘Check Engine Soon,’ then later that day it switched to ‘Oil Change Recommended.’ No one knew who or what made these changes. One day, a delivery driver asked curiously, 'Hey, Lonnie, why does your sign keep changing?' Lonnie winked and replied with a smile, 'Oh, that's just my little way of saying “Welcome to my shop.”' The sign eventually stopped changing when Lonnie finally admitted he was doing it himself—just to make people feel special.

4. At Lonnie’s University Auto Center, one foggy morning, a delivery driver pulled up to find that all the hoses leading from the water tank were mysteriously coiled like snakes. As he reached for his toolbox, Lonnie calmly asked if anyone had seen a snake around recently. Turns out, it was just an overeager garden hose trying to greet its owner. The delivery driver left with a new appreciation for early-morning deliveries and a good laugh.