Skoda 105, 120 Overview: Specs, Generations, and Which Version to Buy
The Skoda 105, 120 is a rear-wheel-drive sedan built from 1976 to 1990 with 53–54 hp engines and manual gearboxes. This overview covers its single generation and compares the two modifications.
The Skoda 105, 120 is a compact sedan produced from 1976 to 1990, offered with engines in a narrow 53–54 hp range, a manual gearbox, and rear-wheel drive. It suits classic-car enthusiasts and collectors looking for a simple, mechanically straightforward European sedan from the late socialist era rather than daily-driver performance.
Skoda 105, 120 generations
1 generation (1976–1990)
The first and only generation of the Skoda 105, 120 was built from 1976 to 1990 exclusively as a sedan. Power output spans 53 to 54 hp across two modifications, and every version pairs a manual gearbox with rear-wheel drive. The Skoda 105, 120 1.1 MT (1 generation) uses a 1046 cc engine producing 54 hp and accelerates to 100 km/h in 29.0 seconds. The Skoda 105, 120 1.2 MT (1 generation) carries a larger 1198 cc engine rated at 53 hp. The fourteen-year production run without a generational change means the lineup stayed technically consistent from the first cars to the last.
Which Skoda 105, 120 to buy
- 1.1 MT (1 generation): the mass-market version with 54 hp from a 1046 cc engine — the higher output of the two modifications, so parts availability benefits from its volume.
- 1.2 MT (1 generation): the later addition to the range, with a larger 1198 cc engine producing 53 hp — the bigger displacement of the two options.
On the used market, every Skoda 105, 120 is now at least three and a half decades old, since production ended in 1990. The single-generation lineup with only two modifications, one gearbox type, and one drivetrain layout makes it easy to compare specific cars against each other: condition and completeness matter far more than picking between versions separated by a single horsepower.
Which Skoda 105, 120 to avoid
The numbers do not single out a clearly weaker version. The Skoda 105, 120 1.1 MT offers 54 hp against the 1.2 MT's 53 hp, while the 1.2 MT counters with 1198 cc against 1046 cc — each modification leads on one figure, so neither is dominated and both remain reasonable choices depending on which trade-off you prefer.