I haven't seen your other post, but is this a need or a want? If it's a want, I'd say just wait and save up for it. If you truly *need* something like that right now, how about buying a used one with the cash you already have saved up, and then save for the next year - the amount you'd have had to pay in payments - and then in a year sell your used one (which won't have lost much value, if any at all - once it's used it's used!) and pay cash for a new one.

I really don't know that cash gives you great bargaining power. The Honda folks don't care how you came to have the cash. If you borrowed $2,500 and owe a bank, Honda still gets cash from you. What they really want is for you to finance THROUGH them because then they get interest on top of the purchase price.