"Fair credit", should wife cosign lease anyway?

[Anonymous]

It's time for me to get a new car. I would ideally like to lease. I'm still waiting for some 5- 6 year old baddies to fall off my report (can't wait!)- they have really stung me. Made some dumb mistakes out of college. My score hovers around 640 now but I make a good salary ($85k)- making payments won't be an issue. My wife has much better credit and an income of around $55k. Should I just automatically have my wife cosign on the lease to get a better rate- I know some dealerships won't even consider me for a lease with a fico in the mid 600's.

[pizzadude]

Do you and her generally keep your credit separated, or have you jointly applied in the past for loans or credit cards ?    People have differing opinions on which approach works better, but in general if you and her are on the same page financially then it should be good IMO.