I liked both versions of Van Halen for different reasons. The brothers Van Halen always maintained a decent quality standard. No whiny woe-is-me 90s Rock, you could always count on Van Halen for a party mood. And even if you think they're "old", they certainly fit into the current back-to-metal roots trend in Rock that includes groups such as Creed and Staind.
As far as Sammy goes, I still think his best work was Three Lock Box...