At least if I start doing that for Sims 2, I won't be such a noob that I think it is wise/right to pay for CC, the way I did for Sims 1 back in the day. I know where the booty is, and where to get better-than-pay free stuff!
... And that is a major good thing! *remembers sims 1 days when pay CC was "No ma'am not for ya!"* Bloody days. Alienating.
Yes sims 2 vanilla is like sims 1 vanilla. Uh in fact even more as sims 2 has a lot of stuff added compared to the first one so hacks are needed to correct a lot of EA spaghetti codes. Like having owned shops: without hacks you can for example end up with customers in your grocery playing ball inside, of having a pillow fight, or your sims' inv filled with crap; stuff like that. But sims 2 has a LOT of CC too, plain unhacked CC. A gazillion of different food, farming CC or whatever: you name it you got it (99.99% of the time).