What I find strange is that there's some 4t2 stuff that looks matchy (e.g. this set.) But others don't.

I think maxis match has gotten more popular because a lot of the shiny semi realistic stuff that looked alright in 800×600-bulky-30 lb monitors don't really look good today on a higher resolution screen. Which is sad for me, because I really dislike cwrtoony Sims. I also suspect that the increase in art tutorials has something to do with maxis match's rise in popularity. You can go on YouTube and find a hundred videos about texture making. Back in the day, the average person would probably just grab a photo of wood or stone etc. from online.

I remember someone, I think @simsample, demonstrating how the Sims 2 exaggerated facial structures were designed for smaller resolutions.

How do you all get motivated to play with the actual sims themselves? I spend a lot of time in build mode and when I do create Sims I tend to not play with them very long as I tend lose motivation.

I'm the opposite! If I'm building a house, it's because I have some Sims desperate for somewhere decent to live. If I'm building a community lot. it's much the same -- to give my Sims somewhere interesting to go. To give them a variety of shops, clubs, restaurants, parks, swimming pools, etc. to go to. But whatever it is, my main concern is to finish it quickly so my Sims can use it. For me the real fun is the time that I spend with my Sims.

I'm still in love with Sims I've been playing for nearly twelve years now. In most cases they haven't even aged up.

About hairstyles I usually like to use detailed deedee hairstyles mixed with 3t2, they fit very well together. I only use the pure sims2 style hairstyles for Plessantview style hoods or my custom hoods, to try to recreate that maxis match style of the game. I never use 4t2 hairs anymore, I think I only use clothes and objects from the sims 4.

Yeah I've found many 4t2 conversions end up looking like you're putting Duplos into a Sims 2 Lego environment. The level of detail isn't the same on a lot of objects that were streamlined for performance in TS4.