Were it not for the addition of cars, it would be hard to think of this as an "expansion" as much as an large patch.
But these days all that we get are cars. Cars that require asinine driveway placement. Cars that allow you to save a few minutes waiting on the taxi to take you shopping but don't allow you to drive yourself to work. Cars that give your sims one more place to Woo Hoo.
The Sims 2 is an outstanding game. However, what is there to say about this expansion? There is very little notable improvement in the game. As always, there is a host of new items, primarily for community lots this time, a new soundtrack, and a series of improvements to the sim interaction system. And much like The Sims 2: University added a college campus (or three), a new Downtown destination has been pre-designed for sims to visit.
Now, all of this is fine but, aside from the car, there is nothing notable here. My sims can go on dates now, they can tool around in their new sports car (I bought in on the cheap, by the way, at only 11,000S), and they have new and fascinating ways to piss each other off by making passes across the room at other sims.
I would argue, however, that much of the functionality included in this expansion pack should have been present in the original. Only because of precedent (Hot Date from the original) do I concede that the dating component could reasonably be a stand-alone expansion. But the car, for example, should have been a part of The Sims. This expansion should be improving the car. For example, it should enable you to take it to work, not just to community lots. Or, in a revolutionary, ground-breaking improvement, they should have been fixing it such that you no longer have to demolish your kitchen and reading room to place the driveway in its one acceptable spot. Seriously, the car animations aren't that good...I see no reason to insist on it being a limiting factor for driveway placement. A word to the wise: just buy a new house with plenty of room for a driveway if you are that desperate to purchase the car.
My feelings on this expansion are thus: everything here should be in the original release of the game. That being said, it is a moot point. Most of the features included are good if not necessary. If you are a fan of the series, buy this expansion. While it is arguably not a good stand-alone expansion, it isn't a complete waste of money either.