1997 Jeep Wrangler

My husband and I bought a '97 Jeep Wrangler in April of '96, Big mistake! First, after a year or so, the 4 wheel drive broke, had to get that fixed, then we had minor things go wrong with it (as with all vehicles) but NOW, the lease isn't even paid off, and for 2 months now it has been in storage, why?? because it needs major engine work. We did all the regular maintenance on the Jeep, and now it is going to cost us near $1700 to get the engine repaired. I might also add, that there were numerous recalls as well. I have heard so much good about the Jeep, and I am going to assume that it was the older models, not the '97!