Depends on what you intend to do, work from scratch or use content. You will encounter fewer if an issues working from scratch; although I am not a big fan of modeling in carrara, I'm just used to working with Hexagon.

The issues start when you go to use Poser/DAZ content. As in C8.5 was specifically built to use the latest dolly/Studio format. That would be DUF and the triax weight mapped figures Genesis/G2F/M. The problem starts with the release version having more issues then the last beta build of it, and after 2 years going on 3 no fixes from DAZ; don't get me started on this new beta.

My biggest issues is DAZ's customer content leashes DIM and CMS. And DAZ's attempts to force me to use them. As in in the beta of C8.5 autofit worked fine with out CMS installed, in the release it is mandatory. And DAZ's unwillingness to fix what it brakes.

In C6 we got dynamic hair, fun stuff, worked really good, DAZ borked it in C7; does not work near as well as it did in C6. In C7 we got modeling in the assembly room, a boon especially for fixing poke though; figures coming through clothes. DAZ borked it in C8{in the mil4 figures you have to create a morph to fix the poke through and if the clothes don't have morphs you're SOL}, then decided to disable it altogether with the new figures in C8.5

Not that there aren't ways around these issues, but DAZ seems quite disinclined to fix them so we don't have to use the work arounds.

Borked, a term stolen from the Swedish chief to refer to something not broken but not working as well as it did/could.