We had the great idea to go to Tofino on a long weekend in July. Naive as we were we met downtown on that Saturday morning. We had decided to go to a car rental agency, rent a car and the drive towards the ferry station. This were already some mistakes...

• There were no cars available at any rental agency anymore for that weekend.
• We hadn't booked the ferry, eighter.
• Waiting for the ferry would have taken at least the whole day, no guarantee to arrive in Nanaimo the same day.

Finally we ended up a the tourist office in Vancouver and they had no idea how to help us. But after looking through the broschures laid out there, we suddenly had an idea, and that's exactly what I recommend you to repeat:

• Call a car rental agency in Nanaimo and tell them when you are going to arrive at the ferry terminal. They always have some cars to rent, are cheaper than the ones in downtown Vancouver and the even pick you up from the ferry terminal.
• Take the public bus from downtown Vancouver via West-Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay. Pass all the houndreds or even thousands of private car waiting there for hours for a place on the ferry.
• Take the ferry as a pedestrian and save lots of money by that again because you don't have to pay for the car.
• Let the car rental agency guy bring you to their office, sign the papers and enjoy your time on Vancouver Island...