Located in Bakersfield, the Jim Burke dealerships began in 1964 when Jim Burke acquired Haberfelde Ford after being employed there since 1948 in various management capacities. Haberfelde Ford, established in 1913, was then located downtown before being moved to the present 20 acre site on Oak Street in 1977. At that time the dealership name was changed to Jim Burke Ford, and Haberfelde Ford is the corporate name. Today, it is one of the biggest Ford dealerships in the nation.

In August 1985 Jim Burke bought the Kitchen Boyd Lincoln Mercury dealership located downtown on Chester Avenue and moved the operation in January of 1989 to a new facility in the Bakersfield Automall. The Jim Burke Jaguar store was added to the Automall location in August of 2000 for luxury car buyers. In March of 2003, the Jim Burke Used Outlet was added to the company’s automotive line-up as a dedicated facility in the Bakersfield Automall, it was built to take care of the growing demands for quality used vehicles. As the market grew for Ford products, in the summer of 2004 the official expansion into the Automall with another Ford Store now marks two locations to buy or lease a Ford in Bakersfield.

Though Jim Burke died in July of 2006, the dealerships and other related companies are still family owned and employ about 300 people. Dan Hay, Jim Burke’s son-in-law, serves as President and attributes the company’s success to the employees who have built lasting relationships through great customer service.

The dealership has a dedicated commercial fleet department that serves federal and local government agencies, small business and major industries located in Kern County. Jim Burke Ford also has a leasing company that is well established with local businesses, plus a large rental agency that is part of the nationwide Ford Rental System. The Jim Burke Collision Care facility and regional parts and service operations are an integral part of the company in building lasting relationship through great customer service.