The HR38 is a great boat, but after 17 years you'll inevitably find that some bits and pieces need attention. There's a "Classic Hallberg Rassy" site (www.fultoncomputer.com/classic/classic.htm) which has a register of members, listed by boat type. Why not look for the e-mail addresses of some HR38 owners and ask them what they've found? In my experience, HR owners are very helpful and are more than willing to give you an honest opinion of their boats.
Chartered one of these two years ago from Hamble Point Yacht Charters. Pretty good all round. The only fault was lack of water in the forward basin after running the water tanks dry!
Good and safe passage maker; well found; easy to handle; nice cabin layout; everything seemed to be well designed and built.
My ideal yacht should I ever chose to buy one! I get about 8 sailing trips a year for about £1,600 by chartering with our virtual sailing club www.lados.co.uk. So unlikley to buy unless I win the lottery!