I moved from the Sidey to the Viper 3, then to Cobra 3 until I could get my Imp Eagle. I did the trading/hauling out of LHS 3447 at first, but I don't mind slow runs so I just started doing data courier work. Start at one station, load up on BB missions, then pick the next stop within one jump. Repeat. It took a while...okay a REALLY long while, but I eventually had enough creds to upgrade my Cobra and head over to Synteini for the ImpE.
I still do data runs even though I enjoy bounty hunting, just to have a change of pace. Honestly, until you know what you want to focus on and what kind of loadout you'll need, the Cobra is the best all-rounder.