Inquiries in general are overly feared. You don't want to just mindlessly rack them up, but a few are not going to significantly hurt you, even if on a score analysis you get chided for seeking credit too much.
When you get a denial letter, and they cite the number of inquiries, isn't it over a period of 6 months or so? I thought I remember a reason being something to the tune of: "TO many inquiries in the last 6 months".
I have around 16 on EQ and TU, but 1 on Exp. I purchased a vehicle in 4-07, and another in 4-08. That is where 12 are coming from.
The reason I am posting this, is even with my situation, I am scared to apply for anything right now. There are 4 CL I would like to app for.