When Bon Scott sings "What I want I take, what I don't I break," in this AC/DC classic, the "problem child" he's referring to could be TrueCar.com. The digital car marketing channel solves a big problem for consumers who aren't in love with dealerships and hate haggling. But, um, they have created some, too.

In the world of in-car entertainment and connectivity, a buck's worth of research and education is worth $100 of advertising. You can talk about your app suites forever, but if people don't know what you're talking about, and if you yourself don't know which technology the people actually use (and why), you may be spending money to talk to a wall.

I took a road trip this past weekend in a Mini CooperS, hardtop four-door. When I told my wife which car we (including our daughter) would be rolling with, she was pretty hyped. "Oh, wow, I love Minis." I asked her why. "I love the way they look for one thing." My daughter, who really couldn't care less about cars, has, in spite of this, developed a taste for what she thinks looks good in a car. She likes the Mini. And when we stopped for gas, she said, "Dad, that's a nice-looking car." She wasn't talking about the Mini …