dealership

About Us


Welcome to Drive Burtness

When Elmer Burtness established Burtness Chevrolet in 1921, he would never have imaged that by 2020 his small Chevrolet dealership and Standard gasoline station would have grown into three of the most prominent franchises in southern Wisconsin: Burtness Chevrolet in Orfordville; and, Burtness Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Burtness Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram in Whitewater.

In 1976, John Bowditch purchased Burtness Chevrolet from Glen Burtness (Elmer’s son) and built a business that centered on customer-focused quality. John realized that any dealer could sell cars, and he wanted the experience at Burtness to far exceed his customers’ expectations. He surrounded himself with the best, most reliable team he could find. His employees became his extended family, and many of his original team are either still employed today or have retired from the organization. John’s two sons, Brian and Matt, had a hand in the family business from a young age. Together with his sons, John expanded to the Whitewater area in 2007.

When John passed away in 2015, Brian and Matt made the commitment to carry on their father’s legacy, and run their business with the customer’s best interest always at the forefront of daily operations. In 2017, the Bowditch family purchased Zingg Automotive Group and grew their product line up to include the Buick, GMC, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram franchises.

The original Burtness Chevrolet dealership, previously located on Beloit Street in Orfordville, is managed by Brian Bowditch and can now be found just west of the Highway 213 and Highway 11 intersection on Genesis Drive. In 2013, a new, state-of-the –art facility was built allowing the dealership to expand all areas: showroom, service department, customer service amenities, more office space, and new technology. It also allowed the business to become compliant with GM’s building design branding requirements.

In Whitewater, the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram dealerships are conveniently located on Main Street, across from Culver’s on the city’s west side. Managed by Matt Bowditch, the extra space and product offerings have allowed Burtness to provide their customers with a variety of new and used vehicle options, as well as expanded service availability.

Burtness serves customers from all over southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Over the years, customers have been increasingly loyal and have come to expect a high level of service that far exceeds the competition. Many customers have relied on Burtness for their vehicle needs for decades.

Burtness offers both new and used vehicles and an experienced sales staff, who specialize in finding the right vehicle to fit each customer’s needs. It has ASE-certified and master technicians available to ensure that repairs are completed properly and efficiently, and offers services such as courtesy shuttles and loaner vehicles to ensure the most convenient experience possible. Take advantage of our home delivery service for a more convenient way to shop for a new car. Contact us to learn more.

You can keep up-to-date on all of our specials, events, and happenings by following us on Facebook. Or, stop in and say hello, enjoy some hot coffee, fresh cookies, or popcorn – we’d love to see you!

 

Drive Burtness 42.6311766, -89.2712366.