Muffin... many auto loan applications are judged by an "auto enhanced" score, meaning the score the dealer or lender sees might differ from the FICO score you see here. An "auto enhanced" score is based heavily on how you've handled your auto loan trade lines in the past and how you're handling them now. They also weigh your other trade lines, but I think the emphasis is on your auto loan history.
If, as you say, you have "re-established" your auto loan credit over the past two or more years with no lates, that should help boost an "auto enhanced" score, but just to be sure I would request to SEE your score when a dealer or lender pulls your credit. Most dealers will show you but some might be hesitant, because sadly... some dealers will tell you that your score is lower than it really is, meaning they can charge you a higher rate and make more money off the finance up-front.
And speaking of which, if and when you decide to go through a dealer for your financing, know that the dealer stands to make a nice profit from just the finance part alone, not including what they'll make on the car. Shop for that car first and DON'T tell the salesman what you want your payments to be. Just negotiate the best price based on getting your own financing, THEN let them see what kind of deal they can put together. And tell the finance manager you want the interest rate set as his BUY RATE, which means he won't be marking up a 7% interest rate (from the lender that approves you) to 8% or more, taking more money from you and putting more in the dealer's pocket.
So about that rate... if your "auto enhanced" score is over 600, I wouldn't accept anything in the double digit rates on a used car, and I would certainly not go any higher than 6 or 7% for a new one. The deals are out there... go get 'em! Let us know how you do.
