Secretary of State closes Lansing car dealership

LANSING — Elvis has left the building. He took the clown and the man hula hooping in a pink Speedo with him.

University Motor Mall, the Lansing car dealership known for its goofy commercials featuring those characters, has closed after Secretary of State Ruth Johnson suspended its license to sell and buy vehicles on Tuesday.

The office had received 25 complaints from customers who said they never received a title or registration after purchasing at the dealership’s Lansing and Mount Pleasant locations, according to a news release.

When investigators showed up to the Lansing dealership, located at 6420 S. Cedar St., they couldn’t access the records, which is grounds for a license suspension, said Fred Woodhams, communications manager for the Secretary of State’s Office.

The University Motor Mall location in Mount Pleasant had its license suspended as well.

The dealerships are owned by Patrick Joslin and James Prater. So far this year, the Secretary of State has closed 13 dealerships.

Joslin and Prater can contest the suspension. As of Wednesday morning, no request for an administrative hearing had been made.

Andrew Abood, an East Lansing attorney representing Joslin, said the owners are working to get those records to the Secretary of State to resolve the outstanding issues. They have no intention of reopening the business at this point.

Consumers who have a complaint against either of the University Motor Mall dealerships are encouraged to call the Office of Investigative Services automotive complaint line at (517) 335-1410.

Contact Alexander Alusheff at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.