I know it's hard to understand for some players, because it's clear Sims fans are a very mixed bunch of people with very different preferences and perceptions (which, I also realize, makes creating this game a very complicated thing), but for players like me, driving a car that really travels through a neighborhood or world - taking the time it needs, just like irl - is as much gameplay as anything else. I always follow my sims while they are travelling (in TS3), always. It's one of the elements that causes I'm pulled in completely, the reason me and my sims become a merged entity almost while playing. What's important to me:
- they have to really drive around for me (sounds duh, but I care less about the animated cars than others do), driving for me is the focus
- that being said, I think it's clear animations (stepping in and out, listenening to the radio, making out) is highly important to a majority of simmers, so I think it's a must (if they'd ever be introduced in this or a next game) that returns
- a carshop would be an awesome detail, with the ability for players to pimp them up, repair them, create a showroom and sell them
