I should have looked at what our water heater was.
We just had it replaced, but it came with the house, and we’ve lived here since 1983.
Never had it serviced that I can recall.
The new ones do have some improved safety features, like how the pilot is lit.
I would hope that in 40 yrs they’ve improved things:)
I think my 2002 Jeep is nicer to ride in than Hs 1966 pick-up.
Two differnt houses. Two of the heaters came with the house. All heaters are newly designed for energy efficiency. The fed regulation went into effect as of April this year.
Rheem of course- Fury to be exact (looked up the manual in my house booklet place- and electric in this house). Have had Rheem in old houses as well. I researched water heaters a year or two ago when we needed to replace this one. Rheem is often used by plumbers- it may not be a flashy advertised brand but is of better quality than most others such as available to home owners in stores. There are a few features to think about. Tank composition- eg glass. Having the extra rod in the tank (ie higher end models). My research showed me Rheem was the way to go. This is the brand of water heater that often comes with houses because it is good, not because it is builder grade…
The builder of our house went way above the standard builder grade crap with the brands of kitchen appliances, faucets, etc. I assume that at least back at the time, the Rheem water heater we got was of better quality, too. It is also big enough to fill our monster tub and still have hot water left for a nice shower! 
I will never go tankless because where we live, power outages in winter are pretty common. It is nice to be able to take a hot shower when there is no heat or electricity.
Gas/electric, size of tank depend on power type availability/costs and needs. We didn’t need the largest but made sure we got a larger than just for a two person household. Also shape- short and squat or tall and skinny to fit space may be needed. Definitely get the extra rod/12 year warranty instead of the six year warranty quality.
We’ve never had anything but Rheem. Just recently replaced after 15 years.
The plumber said they cover the warranty service and they often go beyond what’s covered by warranty. I’ll be keeping Rheem. Next time, if I am still young enough to remember, I’ll switch back to Bradford White. May as well support American owned company.