Let’s say you’re ending the year with a little bit of spare time, and you want to start a one-make racing series. Buying a Miata is way too easy and predictable. How about a Ford F-150? You’re in luck, as CarMax is selling 11 identical 2022 models finished in a familiar shade of green.
[UPDATE 12/11/2024 @ 2:35p ET: The mystery is solved! Thanks to a reader tip, we now know how and why CarMax ended up with these uniquely-specced F-150s. Check it out here. Also, you should know that most of the trucks have been sold since we published this yesterday. For the curious, the rest of the original story continues below.]
The 11 trucks are scattered across the nation, from Washington to Massachusetts. One is in Georgia, another is in Illinois, and two are in Texas. They’re all 2022 models with anywhere between 13,000 and 42,000 miles. Pricing varies accordingly. At the cheaper end of the spectrum, the 42,000-mile truck is located at a store in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and priced at $21,998. At the opposite end, the lowest-mileage truck can be yours if you show up at the CarMax location in Danvers, Massachusetts with $26,998. Alternatively, most can be shipped to you.
What’s interesting, and perhaps telling, is that these F-150s were clearly configured as work trucks. They’re XL models, which Ford positioned at the bottom of the range and aimed largely at fleet users. Don’t look for fancy-looking alloys, leather upholstery, ambient lighting, or internet-connected navigation. The XL came with steelies, cloth upholstery, and an AM/FM stereo that plays through a four-speaker sound system. Even features that aren’t considered all that premium anymore, like a push-button ignition, weren’t available on the XL trim.
Which brings us back to racing: With a 1980s-esque level of equipment, two doors, six cylinders, and rear-wheel drive, this is about as light as it gets for a newer F-150. And, as Colin Chapman said, “light is right.” Granted, he probably wasn’t talking about a late-model Ford pickup.
So, what gives? One possibility is that they were formerly owned by tool manufacturer Ryobi, which operates a fleet of lime-green F-150s. Although unconfirmed, that would explain why they’re all painted in an unusual color not offered by Ford, why they’re all identical, and why they’re all very, very basic. Another option is that this is purely a coincidence. It’s like the infinite monkey theorem applied to Ford pickups and CarMax stores.
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