Brakes burn? Yeah, I'd stay away from any car that smells like it's burning when you test drive it. You wouldn't be able to smell the oil burning from inside the car, unless you had a window open, you might catch a slight scent once in a while. My car burns oil. The only time I've ever smelled something burning strongly was when I had an electrical problem. Smoke was actually coming out the air vents. That wasn't good. You would probably be able to smell a clutch burning but it shouldn't be burning unless you are burning it. A worn clutch doesn't smell. A burning clutch does. I've burned my clutch before too. HTH

Ben