Ok guys,
A few things on FICO scores:
The general break for "favorable" rates is 620. Anything below 620 is considered "problem credit". You will not get decent rates if you are below that cutoff, and you may get restrictions on your loan. The difference between someone trying to buy a car with a 615 and a 680 is night and day. Someone with a 615 may be looking at 8-11% on a new car loan, and someone at 680 may be looking at 5%.
Credit ratings go as high as 850 but you'll rarely meet anyone with a credit score that high. I know a few and they could all paid cash for their Porsches and BMWs. And they own several. Income is not a factor in FICO scoring, but you can't have ANY misses on ANY credit in 7 years, and you must have VERY low balances on ALL your credit. 700 is where the best of the rest live. If you get to 700, you'll quaify for favorable rates from people like Honda.
There are a LOT of sites out there that can help you understand and improve your credit ratings. I suggest that people check their credit every 12 months, and check it probably 3 months or so before a major purchase like a car, boat or house. Be careful where you get your credit reports from, especially if you are looking to get one that tells you what your credit score is. You want one that gets you the REAL FICO score, because not all do. I stupidly made this mistake myself so I am speaking from experience. Using a site like MyFICO.com ensures you'll get what you need.
The breakdown for determing your credit score is:
35% - Your Payment History
30% - Amounts You Owe
15% - Length of Your Credit History
10% - Types of Credit Used
10% - New Credit
Check the following sites for more info:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/credit-scoring/20040128a1.asp?thisponsor=score
http://www.myfico.com/myfico/FAQ.asp
Good luck!