1985 Skoda 120L 1.2

Summary:

The cheapest and most reliable car I know of

Faults:

Lots of things broke down except the engine and suspension. But these are normal, because I never took the car to the service for periodic controls!

The faults were very easy and cheap to fix. Besides the faults, the engine keeps going.

Lighting of the fuel indicator broke down.

General Comments:

Funny car. In its manual it says, "even if the brake pedal goes out, still keep pressing!" I think this is a mistake in translation. The brake pedal is still in its place :)

The boot lid is very original, it opens sideways.

The voot is in the front of the car, the engine is in the back. It's water cooled.

Hard to start it in very cold weather.

No safety measures.

No climate control.

Very light steering (just like hydro).

Very high engine noise inside the car.

Very weak engine (~45hp?). Max speed on a straight road: 140km/hr.

I think this is an extremely reliable car, and the maintenance is very cheap. I didn't go to the service for 2 years (the car is 18 years old!).

It can be driven easily in the countryside on bumpy roads.

No luxury, but it doesn't let you down.

Compare to an old beetle, 120L is cheaper and superior to it.

Resistant body. After 18 years, there's nothing done with the paint, and it's not rusty yet.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 19th May, 2003

7th Jun 2003, 05:05

Hi, I drive a similar car myself, but it always starts first time in cold weather. Most probably you're still not used to pumping the gas pedal 5 or 6 times after an overnight stop. After start up just leave the car on choke for 3 minutes to warm up a little.

I've had it for 6 years it always started first time and has been 100% reliable. Actually more reliable than my brother's 3 year old Rover.

It is used daily and I went all over Europe in it.

10th Jan 2004, 13:20

The note with brake pedal is not translation mistake.

The same is written in original Czech manual. It means that driver should keep pressure on pedal even if brake failure is signalized.

Why? Check diagrams of brake system of Skoda (105 to 130) cars and you will see.