Not that many here have water heaters, and even fewer have probably ever replaced them, Ted. Thus the lack of responses so far. 26 years is a long life. Draining properly and caring for the burner and any sacrificial rod on a regular basis is paramount to longevity. If we still had the old Pace Arrow and needed to replace the water heater (Atwood as I recall), I'd likely go with one with an electric option so my park fees would be paying for its use, rather than use additional propane I have to buy. From what I've read, today's water heaters are somewhat improved over those from the 80's.
Joel