Which older diesel Mini for me?

[Duke Caboom]

Hi,

I have unexpectedly changed job location for a year which means my 16 mile / 30 minutes round trip commute has become 60 miles / 90 minutes. Combined with the change in fuel prices and that my daily is a 3 litre petrol this has been a bit of a blow.

Other than passing through the odd village, the new commute is entirely flowing A roads at about 50mph all the way. My E46 330i convertible averages 35mpg, showing how economically friendly the route is.

I'm looking for a car that has an extra urban economy of 60mpg and is reasonably comfortable and reasonably fun to drive. I have a EP3 type R and will keep the BMW so this car is about being low total cost (but not dire) - I already have exciting and/or interesting cars.

It will be sold after the year so future resale value is important - any models that are at the bottom of the depreciation curve, or close to it will have an impact on total costs for the year. Also, any big bills would also negate the savings so I guess huge mileages might be better avoided.

I think a diesel Mini - R50 or R56 should fit the bill. Maybe facelift R50 One?

Which model would you choose? Any option haves / must avoids? Budget £4k max but lower is better.

Thanks