What is best way to navigate around vancouver?

I'm traveling Vancouver/Richmond area from CA for about an week. I'm planning on renting a car to travel around. I'm not familiar with that area and i'll have to depend on some kind of navigation system. What will be efficient cost effective way? It turns out my GPS (garmin nuvi 205W) doesn't cover BC area. So, I guess, options are either use my iphone ( but international data usage costs a lot, like 2MB for $25 or something.) or maybe rent a smart phone at the airport if available ( but, how is price for data usage in Canada?), or just go analog and buy Vancouver map and use it? If you traveled there before, how did you get around without using too much money?

Can you download a BC or Canada map from Garmin? Most of those GPS companies offer that. I'd check the Garmin website and find out.

Buy a map, about $4.

Driving in Vancouver is a hassle. Most people avoid it if possible. If you are driving outside the city, suburbs, parks, etc… Sure. Parking near the city is often terrible (and expensive) and traffic during the day is often limited by key bridges and tunnels. Consider the Skytrain as it is often more convenient -- especially if downtown. Look at some of the park-and-ride areas.

You can buy a map at any gas station of $5 or so. You can also just go online to MapQuest, type in where you are and where you are going to, and print off the map and driving instructions. If you don't have a printer… You can always use Wi-Fi on your cell and MapQuest to get directions and then email it to you -- and just look at the email without connecting to the Internet. You can also just look for places which have Wi-Fi in Vancouver -- Starbucks, Tim Horton's, McDonald's, and many others have it.

Please note that operating handheld electronic devices are illegal in BC while driving. This includes when stopped at a light. Printing is thus much better. The fine is $167. You need to pull over and park.

If you can avoid driving… Take the Skytrain.

If the law in BC allows you to use a paper map while driving but not an electronic one, then the law is an *** - but then it often is.

I thought that Google Maps would now let you cache maps for offline use. Certainly there are other map systems that will - I use OpenStreetMap on MaemoMapper on a Nokia 910 (now totally obsolete, but still works). I also have a Garmin Nuvi which does certainly cover Richmond, but then I bought it in Canada.

Vancouver is not totally ridiculous in terms of street signs of you are going somewhere major, like Langley or Whistler. Of course if you have a street address you'll have to look that up.
Regular North American grid system most places, though there are subdivisions in Richmond with wiggly roads inside the big blocks.
No more free parking downtown - take the skytrain/Canada line and walk, it's not that big, if you want to visit Gastown, Robson St etc.