Mini Cooper rental in Vancouver?

August 7, 2007 1:40 PM

Where can I rent a Mini Cooper in Vancouver BC?

Last Summer a friend of mine rented a Mini Cooper, the new BMW version. He lives in East Van and I imagine he rented it from somewhere around here. My friend is currently away at the moment, so I can't ask him, and I can't find it anywhere on the internet.

I'm going on a road trip this weekend, so now I'm looking to rent one because I thought that might be fun. Anyone know who rents them? Any other ideas of fun cars to rent and where I might find them here in town?

posted by miles1972 to Travel & Transportation around Vancouver, BC (9 answers total)

Zipcar has Mini Coopers. But you'd have to join Zipcar. It's not exactly the same as a rental.
posted by GuyZero at 2:00 PM on August 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

I think the cooperative auto network has them, too. But, again that's not the same as a rental.
posted by acoutu at 2:03 PM on August 7, 2007

Response by poster: yeah, both those outfits do - but they both discourage using their cars for roadtrips. They're more for in-town runabouts.
posted by miles1972 at 2:06 PM on August 7, 2007

Really? I have friends who've driven a CAN car to Osoyoos and back.
posted by acoutu at 2:32 PM on August 7, 2007

Response by poster: Oh for sure it can be done. But it's way cheaper for the trip I'm taking. Check out their CAN vs. Rental Car Calculator. That's what I mean by "discourage."
posted by miles1972 at 3:14 PM on August 7, 2007

Budget has Smart Cars and Beetle convertibles -- their quoted rate on the phone last week was $56 a day, 200km included per day.

They want about a week's notice for a fun car, although you might get lucky.
posted by Sallyfur at 12:51 AM on August 8, 2007

Response by poster: Really Sally? In Vancouver? The guy I just talked to at Budget made no mention of either of these cars when I just called to ask.
posted by miles1972 at 12:45 PM on August 8, 2007

Were you speaking to the main call centre, or to a specific location? I've found the big office doesn't always have the full inventory of specialty vehicles available in their reservation system for some reason.

I know the Budget in Chinatown has at least one (and hmm, may have a Mini, if this guy isn't joking.
posted by Sallyfur at 9:34 PM on August 8, 2007

Response by poster: Sally, you're totally right. The main call centre doesn't know the full inventory. They do have at least a couple fun cars at that Chinatown Budget location.
posted by miles1972 at 11:03 AM on August 9, 2007