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Bling, bling! Diddy gives son, 16, a $360,000 car

Posted Jun 14, 2010 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Jun 14, 2010 at 09:24 AM

I have to admit it: I don’t remember my 16th birthday party.  Maybe if I’d received a $360,000 luxury car like Diddy’s son, it would have been more memorable.

I just watched the MTV “My Super Sweet 16” episode featuring Justin Combs, which aired in February.  Justin’s all about throwing the best party New York’s ever seen, to out-do his big brother’s and even out-do the bashes his father throws.  Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on the film crew, helicopter, police escort, exclusive club, jewelry, clothes, and of course food and beverages.  Then the big reveal at the end: a brand-new Maybach.  Justin, of course, already has a limo and driver.

“I think it’s appropriate for me to give my kids whatever I want to give them,” Diddy told ABC’s Nightline.  Diddy has six kids by three different women.  Asked if it sent the wrong message about money, Diddy said, “It wasn’t about a lesson.  It was about what I wanted to do.”

Actually, it was about setting a bling-bling standard.  Watch the show and you’ll see what I mean.  It’s all about the “wow” factor.  What will get people talking all over the world? What will get your name on everybody’s lips?  What will get you noticed?  Yes, spending more than a quarter million dollars on a car for a teenager seems like a gigantic waste of money to me, but when you’re as rich as Midas, you’ve got the money to waste. 

Was Diddy out of line?  To me, it depends on what happens next.  The car comes with a driver while Justin learns the rules of the road.  If he starts taking the wheel and driving like a madman and ends up in a crash that causes his best friend to have brain damage (hmm, that sounds familiar), then everyone will cluck their tongues and say, “Of course it was stupid to give a young kid that kind of car with that kind of horsepower.”  If Justin stays out of trouble and the car is just another glamorous accessory, then all will be forgiven.

The question now is, what will the next rich kid to top it?  The Maybach doesn’t even crack the top 10 most expensive cars in the world.