>

It's misleading because, while technically true, it leads people to believe something that isn't. Saying that people don't have the cash to pay for something leads the reader to believe that those people can't afford it, which isn't true, hence the misleading.
The key phrase is "in cash." Putting something on credit or selling something to come up with the cash are the same as not having the immediate cash to pay a $1000 bill. I don't believe it's misleading when they mean the same thing.