When you buy a new car, you will have to go through a credit score check at every dealership, unless you pay cash. Because 9 out of 10 people don’t know their credit score, they just rely on the dealer to tell them what they qualify for. So several dealers give the customers lower credit scores than they actually have; this way they can push up the repayments.
How to avoid: be smart; go to the dealership with a print of your credit report, even if you have to pay a few bucks for it.