I'm pretty sure my hot water heater just quit. Replacement suggestions?

[M A V I C]

8.5 yrs old, the drain plug has a small leak. We fixed the issues we were having with it before, but now it seems to have shut itself off. We could try relighting the pilot light and seeing if it will keep working, but the leaking has me concerned. Considering that part of the house is currently drying out from being flooded by the neighbor's place, I think I'll just replace it rather than push it and have to deal with more cleanup.

Any suggestions on this? Any particular brand better than another?