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Purchase reportVolkswagen Golf
Report created on 14/09/2026
Austria · 4 sources
Report created on 14/09/2026
·Austria · 4 sources
2017 · Petrol
Overview
Final advice
Strong candidate
This car scores well on almost every point. A great candidate to look into further.
Purchase score 75 out of 100
The breakdown is further down in this overview.
Purchase score 75 out of 100
·The breakdown is further down in this overview.
The amounts at a glance
Asking price€ 13.500€ 469 above your own listings
Opening offer€ 11.880Maximum price € 13.500
Expected costs€ 2.700If all 2 known points apply
Check this first
Part 2 of 6
Risks
What matters with this car and this model, how to check it yourself, and what it might cost.
Risk signals
0 points that follow from this car's data.
No risk signals were found.
Known model issues
Severity goes from low through medium to high. The icon and the word say the same thing.
Severity goes from low through medium to high. The icon and the word say the same thing.
7 points for this model. 2 points have a repair amount and are listed first.
Severity High · Timing belt/chain
Timing belt replacement interval (EA211 engine family)
Part 3 of 6
Price and costs
What the car is worth, what you offer, and what it costs afterwards.
Negotiation advice
Room to negotiate
€ 1.620
Between the asking price and your opening offer.
Asking price€ 13.500
from the listing
Opening offer€ 11.880
you start here
Desired price€ 12.640
this is your target
Part 4 of 6
History
Inspections and mileage from the register.
History analysis
Advice
This Volkswagen Golf is a 2017 model with 74,000 km on the clock.
Part 5 of 6
Checks
What to ask the seller and what to check at the viewing.
Questions for the seller
The most important ones first. Uncheck what you don't want to share.
11 selected
Priority High · Technical
Has the timing belt already been replaced? If so, at what mileage and on what date?
Watch for this answer
Watch out for a suspicious answer: The seller gives an evasive answer: "I don't know" or "I never looked at that". Then pay extra attention to this point.
Why you ask this
This relates to a known point to watch for this model: Timing belt replacement interval (EA211 engine family).
Priority High · Maintenance
Is the full maintenance logbook available, and may I see it?
Watch for this answer
Watch out for a suspicious answer: "I've lost it" or "it's not included" without further explanation.
Why you ask this
The maintenance logbook shows whether the car has been serviced on time.
Priority High · Damage
Has the car ever been damaged, and if so, was it professionally repaired?
Watch for this answer
Watch out for a suspicious answer: "No, never had any damage", without papers that show it.
Why you ask this
Earlier damage can lower the safety and the value of the car. That is especially true if the repair was not done properly.
Priority Medium · Technical
Have the DSG oil and filter been changed on time? Can you show that with invoices?
Watch for this answer
Watch out for a suspicious answer: The seller gives an evasive answer: "I don't know" or "I never looked at that". Then pay extra attention to this point.
Why you ask this
This relates to a known point to watch for this model: DSG automatic (dual-clutch gearbox).
Priority Medium · Ownership
Why are you selling the car?
Watch for this answer
Watch out for a suspicious answer: A vague or evasive answer without a clear reason.
Why you ask this
The reason for selling often gives an honest picture. It tells you whether there are problems.
Priority Medium · Maintenance
When was the car last inspected, and were there any points to watch?
Watch for this answer
Watch out for a suspicious answer: The seller cannot say anything clear about the last inspection.
Why you ask this
The points from the last inspection say something about the car's condition now.
Priority Medium · Maintenance
When were the tyres last replaced? Are all four the same make and type?
Watch for this answer
Watch out for a suspicious answer: The seller gives an evasive answer: "I don't know" or "I never looked at that". Then look at this point extra closely.
Why you ask this
This is the most common failure category for this model. It covers cars that came on the road in the same year. That applies at age 8 years, in the 2025 British MOT figures. It is about 31.3% of the categorised defects. Within that category it most often concerned "A tyre seriously damaged". That is the exact wording used in the British MOT test.
Priority Medium · Maintenance
Have shock absorbers, springs, or control arms ever been replaced, and if so when?
Watch for this answer
Watch out for a suspicious answer: The seller gives an evasive answer: "I don't know" or "I never looked at that". Then look at this point extra closely.
Why you ask this
This is the most common failure category for this model. It covers cars that came on the road in the same year. That applies at age 8 years, in the 2025 British MOT figures. It is about 19.2% of the categorised defects. Within that category it most often concerned "A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage". That is the exact wording used in the British MOT test.
Priority Medium · Technical
Is there damage to the windscreen or mirrors, and has anything ever been replaced?
Watch for this answer
Watch out for a suspicious answer: The seller gives an evasive answer: "I don't know" or "I never looked at that". Then look at this point extra closely.
Why you ask this
This is one of the most often recorded failure defects (severity B/C) in the Czech STK figures. It covers this model from the same registration year. That is 5.4% of all 74 counted defects of this severity for this group in this year. Visibility: within that category it most often concerned "Použití neschválené fólie nebo způsob montáže dodatečné úpravy neodpovídá požadavkům (zakrytí střední brzdové svítilny) nebo poškozená fólie (změna zabarvení, trhliny nebo vznik vzduchových bublin mezi nalepenou fólií a sklem) omezuje nebo zkresluje výhled řidiče.". That is the literal wording from the Czech inspection, untranslated.
Priority Low · Ownership
How many keys come with the car?
Watch for this answer
Watch out for a suspicious answer: Uncertainty about exactly how many keys there are.
Why you ask this
Is a second key missing? That can point to earlier loss or theft. A new one also costs money.
Priority Low · Price
Is the asking price negotiable, and what is the lowest price you would accept?
Watch for this answer
Watch out for a suspicious answer: "The price is fixed", without any explanation. And that while the car has been for sale for a long time.
Why you ask this
This tells you straight away how much room there is to negotiate. You do not have to name a price first.
Part 6 of 6
Details
All register data, what this report does not know, and where it all comes from.
Vehicle details
Manually entered, not checked
Above are only the details you entered yourself. For this country we have no vehicle register we can search. So we added and checked nothing automatically.
Car
Fuel type
Petrol
Engine & trim (estimate)
Advice
Generation
Golf VII
Facelift
Facelift (from 2017)
Engine code
EA211 1.4 TSI (the exact engine code depends on the power version)
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Start free with your car
1
No major risks found based on the available data.
In short: positive
Relatively low mileage: an average of 8,222 km per year, less than usual.An above-average purchase score of 75/100.
Purchase score
75 out of 100
075100
The score weighs price, history, maintenance, mileage, and more.
Priceweighs 20%
65
Historyweighs 15%
100
Model reliabilityweighs 15%
71
Maintenanceweighs 12%
100
Mileageweighs 10%
100
Listing transparencyweighs 10%
43
Sellerweighs 8%
80
Expected costs (weakest part)weighs 10%
36
A sub-score of 100/100 means: no negative signals found. That does not prove perfection. A sub-score can be 100 even with little data about an item.
Notes on the score
The British MOT figures count towards the model reliability sub-score. At the measured ages this model fails about 0,7 times as often as the British average. That average covers all cars that came on the road in the same year. This raises that sub-score by 3 out of 100, with a maximum of 4 points. The total purchase score comes out at 75/100.
Available data
Extensive data available
This shows how much data we had, not the car's condition.
Repair costs€ 800 to € 1.800
Applies to from 2012 (1.4 TSI from the EA211 engine family) · 1.4 TSI (EA211 engine family)
The 1.4 TSI from the EA211 family has a timing belt. That belt makes sure the valves open and close at the right moment. The belt wears and must be replaced on time. If it stays in place too long, it can tear or slip off. That can cause serious engine damage.
What you'll notice
usually no warning beforehand: you cannot judge the belt from outside, sometimes a squeaking or grinding noise from the belt housing
Ask the seller
Has the timing belt already been replaced? If so, at what mileage and on what date?
Check during the test drive
Ask when the timing belt was last replaced, and at what mileage. You cannot judge the belt itself during a test drive.
Ask for these documents
Invoices for timing belt maintenance, service book
How often this happens
Replacement on interval is prescribed for this engine type; a concrete failure rate is not available.
Automated assessment: no source document for this claimPossibly relevantConfidence in this estimate: Medium
Severity Medium · Transmission
DSG automatic (dual-clutch gearbox)
Repair costs€ 300 to € 2.500
Applies to trims with a DSG gearbox
The DSG is an automatic gearbox with two clutches. Have the oil or the filter not been changed on time? Then the gearbox can shift jerkily or parts can wear faster.
What you'll notice
jerky or rough shifting at low speed, vibrations when pulling away from standstill, error messages on the dashboard
Ask the seller
Have the DSG oil and filter been changed on time? Can you show that with invoices?
Check during the test drive
Drive in town and at higher speed. Pull away from a standstill as well. Watch for hesitant or jerky gear changes.
Ask for these documents
Invoices for DSG maintenance
How often this happens
Mainly a point to watch if the oil and filter have not been changed on schedule. That schedule is roughly every 60,000 km.
Automated assessment: no source document for this claimPossibly relevantConfidence in this estimate: Medium
Severity Medium · Other
German insurance class (GDV type class)
According to the GDV rating-class register (rate year 2024), Golf III has KH 10-19 (scale 10-25), VK 10-23 (scale 10-34), TK 11-26 (scale 10-33). Note: this range comes from 479 known engine variants in this rate year. GDV only looks at make and model here, not at the generation. With a count this high, several model generations may be pooled together. Note: this is an index figure or rating class, an insurance statistic about the whole model. It is not a chance of defects and not a prediction for this car.
Source: GDV TypklassenverzeichnisA rating class places this model on a fixed German insurance scale for claims figures. KH = third-party liability, VK = fully comprehensive, TK = partly comprehensive. Higher usually means costlier claims. It says nothing about the reliability of this car.General model informationReliability: High
Severity Medium · Other
Official item from Dutch inspection data
Note: this is a share of the cars tested in this age band. It is not a chance of defects and predicts nothing for this car.
Ask the seller
Has this car already been checked or repaired after this official point? See the sources section of this report for the details.
How often this happens
9916 of the 33776 Dutch inspection data, age 9-11 yr.
Source: Dutch inspection data· Figures from Dutch inspections (national vehicle register). They do not automatically apply to this countryThis figure covers the whole model. Not one generation, engine or versionGeneral model informationReliability: High
Severity Medium · Other
Defect pattern confirmed in 2 countries
This defect pattern, Lighting equipment and parts of the electrical system, is among the most common defects at this age in United Kingdom, Netherlands (recent picture (last 3 years)). Each country measured this separately, not combined into one figure.
Source: Cross-source consensusGeneral model informationReliability: High
Severity Medium · Other
Defect pattern confirmed in 3 countries
This defect pattern, Axles, wheels, tyres, suspension, is among the most common defects at this age in United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Netherlands (recent picture (last 3 years)). Each country measured this separately, not combined into one figure.
Source: Cross-source consensusGeneral model informationReliability: High
Severity Low · Other
Manufacturer communications from the United States
1 quote from the source, in English
The manufacturer has published 719 technical bulletins about GOLF, mainly about EQUIPMENT (165 of 719), ENGINE (80 of 719), ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (79 of 719). These are messages from the manufacturer to the dealer network, for example repair instructions, software updates or warranty programmes. They are not recalls themselves and not a proven problem with this model. That also holds when the text mentions a recall. The count says nothing about the quality of this car.
Ask for these documents
Quote (NHTSA ID 11036868, added 2026-09-04): "Permission to change Daily Order upgraded to RED Order" · Quote (NHTSA ID 11036880, added 2026-09-04): "Clean and install an additional plastic "ring" to prevent ingress of dirt,hair. Foreign bodies into the clock spring."
Source: NHTSA Manufacturer Communications· Manufacturer bulletins for the American market. They do not automatically apply to this countryBulletins (service bulletins) from the manufacturer to its dealers, for example repair instructions, software updates or warranty programmes. Such a bulletin is not a recall and does not prove a problem with this model. Not even when the text mentions a recall.General model informationReliability: High
Recalls (make/model)
No recall notices were found for this make and model. Source: EU Safety Gate.
Maximum price€ 13.500
you stop here
Expected costs after buying€ 2.700
What speaks for the car
Relatively low annual mileage for the age of the car.
What speaks against the asking price
The asking price is above the target price.
Known points to watch for this model can cost money later. See the known issues section.
Arguments for a lower offer
Based on your data, the target price is around €12,640. That is a good start for the conversation.
Allow for about €2,700 of maintenance that may be needed. This is about known points to watch for this model.
What to say
On the phone
Hello, I'm calling about the Volkswagen Golf you've advertised. Is it still for sale?
Could you tell me why you're selling the car and whether the service book is complete?
Is there any room for movement on the asking price, and if so, how much?
During the viewing
Could I look at the service book and any invoices before we go for a test drive?
I'd like to take a proper test drive, including some driving at higher speeds. Would that be all right?
I've looked at the condition of the car and compared other listings. I'm thinking of a price around €12,640.
Message (WhatsApp/email)
Hello, I'm interested in your Volkswagen Golf. After doing some research I've arrived at an offer of around €11,880, partly in view of some known points to watch for this model. Would you be open to discussing it?
Price analysis
Entered by you
Entered by you
We adjusted the prices of your 3 listings to the mileage and year of manufacture of this car. That way you can compare them fairly.
€ 13.500
€ 12.232€ 13.870
Market rate
LowHigh
Asking price € 13.500 is within the range from € 12.232 to € 13.870.
Adjusted middle price
€ 13.031
Number of listings
3
Spread across your listings
5,1%
The asking price of € 13.500 is € 469 (3,6%) above the adjusted middle price of your 3 listings (€ 13.031).
We are not sure of the engine variant. Possible variants:
1.4 TSI 122 hp · CMBAMost common version in this period.
1.4 TSI 150 hp (ACT, cylinder deactivation) · CZDAMore economical trim with cylinder deactivation, recognisable by the 'ACT'/'BlueMotion Technology' badge.
Listing details
From the listing
Asking price
€ 13.500
Mileage
74.000 km
Seller type
Dealer
Dealer
Autohaus Graz
Maintenance info
Service history available, regularly maintained.
Warranty
3 months dealer warranty
Damage info
Unknown
Not mentioned in the listing.
Ask the seller about any previous damage to the car.
The listing text, as the seller wrote it
Tidy Volkswagen Golf, model year 2017. Mileage 74,000 km, in good condition with no known defects. Asking price €13,500, viewing welcome in Graz, no obligation.
In your country
Official source
Periodic inspection
System
§57a-Begutachtung (the Austrian periodic inspection, known as the "Pickerl")
First inspection
3 years after first registration
Interval
then after 2 more years, and annually from that point on (the "3-2-1" pattern)
Estimated cost
€50-150 (estimated)
Announced: from 19 May 2027 the interval becomes "4-2-2-2-1" instead of "3-2-1". This field describes what applies until that date.
A one year guarantee is only possible through a separate agreement in the contract, not through the general terms and conditions. That is allowed only if, at the moment of sale, the car was first registered more than one year ago.
This protection only applies when buying from a dealer, not in a private sale.
Details you entered yourself, not checked with an official organisation.
Listing text (seller)
14/09/2026
Listing · reliability: medium
Listing details you added yourself.
Your own listings
14/09/2026
Market data · reliability: medium
Comparison with the 3 listing(s) you added yourself.
Analysis (Plateop)
14/09/2026
Conclusion · reliability: medium
Automatically created explanation, checklist, questions and advice based on the data above.
EU Safety Gate
Provides: recalls.
As of: 14/09/2026
CZ STK
Known model problems for which this source provides the evidence: 1.
DVSA MOT statistics
Known model problems for which this source provides the evidence: 1.
Finnish inspection data
Known model problems for which this source provides the evidence: 1.
GDV Typklassenverzeichnis
Known model problems for which this source provides the evidence: 1.
Irish inspection data
Known model problems for which this source provides the evidence: 1.
Cross-source consensus
Known model problems for which this source provides the evidence: 2.
Dutch inspection data
Known model problems for which this source provides the evidence: 1.
NHTSA Manufacturer Communications
Known model problems for which this source provides the evidence: 1.
Norwegian inspection data
Known model problems for which this source provides the evidence: 1.
What this report doesn't know (and how to find out for free)
Three things you can check yourself:
Earlier mileage readings
We do not see every earlier mileage reading. Ask the seller for service invoices and inspection reports that show the mileage. Compare those with the current reading.
Damage history
There is no public damage database we may use. So we do not invent one. Do you have doubts about earlier damage? Then have the car inspected independently by a qualified garage or inspection service.
Earlier maintenance and current condition
We cannot see what work has been done on the car. Nor how it stands today. Ask for the service book and the invoices. Judge the condition yourself when you view the car and on the test drive.
Missing information
This car was entered by hand and not checked with an official organisation.
No official earlier inspections are known for this country.
We have no earlier mileage readings to compare this reading with.
We only know recalls per make and model, not for this car itself.
Chassis number/VIN for a 100% certain engine code
This report is a tool, not a substitute for an inspection
The purchase score, the risk assessments and the advice in this report come from an automated analysis.
What the terms and liability say exactly
That analysis uses general model knowledge and the data available at that moment. This is not a technical inspection and gives no guarantee about the condition of the car. Plateop accepts no liability for decisions you take on the basis of this report. If in doubt, always have a car inspected by an independent expert before you decide.