E36 Clutch Slippage?

[Scotty]

I test drove a '99 M3 for sale by a small dealer in VA. 88K miles. Great car, but one thing bothered me.

When aggressively upshifting at around 5500 RPM, the engine speed didn't drop as I re-engaged the clutch. I tried this through several gears, getting on the accelerator hard after letting out the pedal. Each time, it seemed as though the clutch was slipping; the car seemed to stop pulling hard until I let up on the accelerator a bit. The clutch seemed fine during mild upshifting, acceleration from a stop, and downshifts.

I'm not familiar at all with the driving characteristics of this car, so I'm wondering if this is normal behavior? I plan on taking the car to an independent mechanic for an inspection, but thought I'd check with fellow club members beforehand.

(Not that it matters, but I noticed the spare wheel has a Toyo Proxes mounted on it. I don't care if the car was driven aggressively by the previous owner, but if so, I want to know what I'm in for if the clutch needs replacing.)

Thanks!

[mlytle]

I test drove a '99 M3 for sale by a small dealer in VA. 88K miles. Great car, but one thing bothered me.

When aggressively upshifting at around 5500 RPM, the engine speed didn't drop as I re-engaged the clutch. I tried this through several gears, getting on the accelerator hard after letting out the pedal. Each time, it seemed as though the clutch was slipping; the car seemed to stop pulling hard until I let up on the accelerator a bit. The clutch seemed fine during mild upshifting, acceleration from a stop, and downshifts.

I'm not familiar at all with the driving characteristics of this car, so I'm wondering if this is normal behavior? I plan on taking the car to an independent mechanic for an inspection, but thought I'd check with fellow club members beforehand.

(Not that it matters, but I noticed the spare wheel has a Toyo Proxes mounted on it. I don't care if the car was driven aggressively by the previous owner, but if so, I want to know what I'm in for if the clutch needs replacing.)

Thanks!

definitely not normal. the clutch (and hopefully not the flywheel too) is probably toast. that should not be happening at only 88k miles unless the car was really abused. run away unless it is a REALLY good deal.

[Scotty]

I'm taking the car to London Auto Services this week to have it checked out. I'm sure they know more than I do, but I'm going to try to get them to pay close attention to the clutch.

The price is higher than blue book, so I'm prepared to back away if the car needs major work. Externally, condition is excellent.

[Scotty]

Just to update those who might care, I let this car go. The people at London Auto were very friendly and helpful. They agree that the clutch is fairly toasted.

The dealer was willing to come down on price and offered to have the clutch (and several other items) fixed if I'd pay the asking price. The problem was that I wanted the repairs done at a shop I could trust; understandably, that would be more expensive from the dealer's point of view.

It was all a bit much so I declined. My deposit was returned without any hassles. The search goes on...