Why remain a resident?

To buy a car, and register it in your name, you absolutely must be a resident, inscribed on your comune of residence anagrafe,  (at this point in time). However, making the decision to rescind your residency, while still being the proprietor of an Italian reg car: I'm inclined to thnk this scenario has not hit the motorizazzione radar, and I don't see any route by which it would hit the PRA radar. Interesting times. If you happen to be a resident (on the anagrafe) in Italy, who does not spend more than 183 days a year within Italian boundaries, then you are in the fortunate position of being able to argue (assuming you can prove your absence from Italy for more than 183 days) that you are not tax resident, and still have an IT reg car (IMO). It is only the presumption, that being resident,  (aka on the anagrafe) which is made that you are tax resident, and so the ball ends in your court to demonstrate that you are not (if you can legitimately prove this). Of course, on the other hand, if you rescind your residency but continue to live in Italy for more than half the year, you are still within the Italian tax 'net'. You might not be challenged immediately, but remember you have things like an electricity meter (to which the fiscal authorities have immediate access) and if you say "wasn't me, mate, using that juice" they are going to challenge you to provide a rental contract (on which you'll have to pay tax!)