No one has asked what type of computer you have. That matters because Sims 3 is no longer supported on Mac at all, and PC's are heading in the same direction (Sims 3 is a 32 bit game and everyone is moving to 64 bit). So you need to have a backwards compatible OS to even play it.
That said, if you can and want to play it, find it on sale and check it out. It has it's pluses and minuses like they all do. I played for hours every week for years. It's a fun game. But because of it's age, definitely find it on sale.