Where did this idea come from? I can see the point of it, and does that mean anything can be a rat? just out of interest.

haha that probably makes the car i drive a rat then lol. It has rusty wheels missing pinstripes on one side, mistmatch and faded paint, it basically looks like a piece of crap, but its good cos it has character.

i think a rat is more wen the money is invested into the motor, mechanicals, maybe wheels, than doing the car up cosmetically. the cars hav usually been pulled out of barns or backyards etc, thats wat give them the rat look. ur average run down piece of shit isnt a rat, its a run down piece of shit...

i was at the volksworld show in london this weekend more and more rats are arriving on the scene , but like you say nature rats up buses , iwas chating to a couple of guys from the usa that say all the are doing is searching wrecking yards to find buses not for spares any more but to see if they will mke nice rats , he showed me some pics of his 53 standard bus that has been in a arizona desert for over 25 years it looks mad just like the mercury bus , any bus saved from the wreckers is cool by me

How is it then possible to get them registered if they have heaps of rust in them...and is rat and acronym for rusty ???? thing?

i think the word rat came from a magazine that had a bus pic with the word rattan either on the bus or in the pic volksworld mag over here coined the phrase rat look from that i beleave , but as for getting stuff registerd over here our mot road legaL ticket is different for different years so luckely 1960s vehicles only have to comply with 60s regs , which means you dont have to have seat belts , no seat belts no fixing anchors , so welding regs are different , if that makes sence :thumb

cool, bit clearer now on what one is. I reckon that its sad to see vws rust away, so i be more inclined to fix the thing. But hey the rusted look gives it character too. I just hear stories of people being pulled over by the cops for rust but then everything ridiculous happens in Victoria.

[Edited on 31-3-2004 by Cruzin in a Golf]