Test drove 95 M3 - Is this normal?

[john_avis]

Hi!

I am contemplating the purchase of a 95 M3 here in Australia (euro-spec not usa-spec).

A couple of things I noticed on a test drive, I want to check if they are normal:

1) When suddenly coming off the throttle in any gear there is a lot of jerkiness which i am unsure indicates drivetrain looseness/fuel injection problem or whether this is normal for a car with such excellent throttle response.

2) There is noticable ticking coming from the top of the engine. I wasn't sure if this was the injectors and normal or whether this was valve lifters and an indication of wear or poor oil maintenance.

The car has travelled 130,000km.

Thanks.

-John Avis in Australia

 

[tknopurpl]

I OWN A US SPEC '95 M3-ITS HARD TO MAKE THE CAL W/OUT ACTUALLY HEARING AND DRIVIG THE CAR, BUT I DO EXPERIENCE THE SAME THROTTLE RESPONSE JERK WHEN I IMMEDIATELY LET OFF THE THROTTLE. AS FAR AS THE TICKING GOES, THAT'S THE NORM IN EVERY M3 IVE HEARD-ITS THE INJECTOR PULSE. THIS JUST MY 2 CENTS BUT MY CAR HAS 103K MI AND IT RUNS LIKE A MOTHER****ER=HOPE THIS HELPS. M3'S ARE BUILT TO LAST. MY MECHANIC CALLS EM BULLET-PROOF.

 

[hardcore209]

john,if you experience any jerkiness at all then walk away and look for another car. mine drives beautifully, without any jerkiness at all. these cars are very highly tuned and very expensive to repair, so don't just go and buy any old rubbish just coz u got all excited about an M3. I looked for 2 months and saw a lot of old rubbish before i finally got mine. the ticking is normal, but if you test drive a car and it sounds growly, then again walk away as it's the vanos unit that's gone and it willl cost at least #1500 (here in the uk that is)

 

[mikev]

the jerkiness is due to the sudden power loss through the drivetrain my car does it and so does the M5. (if it happens at very high RPM though then its not normal)