Not very often, even though I was really tempted to keep Pecan. I think it was more of the case that she was the one who had hosted my birthday party so she'd gained some sentimental value to me. I usually swamp them out for villagers I like or must have in my town such as Ruby.
I didn't keep any of my first villagers anymore. There was a period where I stopped playing, and when I came back, most of my first villagers (especially Poppy </3) were already gone. Ankha was my last first villager though. c:
Pretty much never. I never start with someone I like. This time around, I'm keeping Maple and getting everyone else to move out. I got stuck with all of my least favorite villagers this time