Jim Harbach - Owner & Operator/GM
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jim@jsautosales.net
J's
Auto's owner & operator, Jim Harbach, has always lived locally, and grew up
on a farm as the youngest of 8 siblings, between the towns of Delhi &
Manchester. When Jim opened J's Auto in 1986 at age 24, it was as a very
small service & body shop. He started the business as a body and
service repairman himself, and eventually began dabbling in vehicle sales.
In the 1980s, Jim had began to see why so many of the used car
dealerships had earned such a bad reputation, and he was determined to provide
people a real, sincere & honest buying experience like they deserved,
one that he would want as a customer. Many local folks will tell you they
still remember back when there were only three cars on that tiny lot and how
Jim would come out to help you himself, covered in paint or engine grease or
both. Eventually, and before the luxury of the now widely used world wide
web, he began to travel to acquire vehicles, while still simultaneously maintaining his position as the head body man and shop manager,
and taking care of his family, including then four young daughters. In
1992, Jim expanded J's Auto to support a slightly larger Sales aspect, with a
1000 square foot lot, 20 used vehicles, and the addition of 2 more employees.
By 2002, Jim's continued hard work and success allowed J's Auto to undergo a
much greater expansion, and to add a larger full service shop, detail, body,
paint, and sales department, with over 7500 square feet, an inventory of
100-150 vehicles, and 12 employees. Today, J's Auto offers 170+ vehicles
and continues to grow in number of employees. Jim was very excited to
announce that J's Auto would be making a huge change, and constructing a much
larger facility for sales, service, and detail in 2016. Now in spring of 2017,
Jim and the J's Auto team strive to offer that same great service and
commitment to customers that they always have at the new location. Throughout these years
in business, Jim and J's Auto have won numerous awards, including for the Iowa
Independent Auto Dealer of the Year from IIADA, for both quality
vehicles and quality customer service, and ASC Quality Dealer award winner
seven times over. J's Auto is a member of both the IIADA and NIADA, is
proud to be accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and to participate as a
local Chamber Member, regularly donating both time & money back
to the local community, including to area schools and various other local
businesses & organizations.
Despite
his success, Jim Harbach is still just your regular guy, committed to providing
the vehicle experience he would want for himself or his own family. In
the course of his business, he remains involved in almost every aspect at every
level, and you can still find him doing jobs like detailing cars himself--he
just does what needs to get done. He is extremely loyal and dedicated to the
people in his life, from his family to his friends, down to his very last
customer. He is stretched incredibly thin, but Jim does manage to take
time for his family and for himself, and has a love for hunting and the
outdoors, hobby farming, small woodworking projects, and just spending time
with the people in his life.
