Tom, if you are looking at the C&C 37 and 40 I'm guessing you are looking more for performance than comfort. If you are looking for a bit more comfortable boat you could check out the C&C Landfall 38 or 43. The Landfall is shallower draft. You should check for deck core delamination on all older C&Cs. The boats built in the 70s didn't always have solid laminate for deck fittings and water could get into the core. Some tended to get a bit of water into the core and then it would start to get soft. If you have a moisture meter it's easy to check for this or tap around the mast partners and deck fittings. I think they fixed this in the boats built in the 80s but still worth checking.

I haven't sailed on the 37 or 40 but the 33, 34 (centerboard) and 35 I sailed on were very nice handling boats. The 33 and 34 felt very solid, the 35 (70's era) seemed to be built lighter.