Now, here's something strange - you can buy a house in Italy, anything you want, any price you want but you can't own a car in Italy unless you have residency.
It's to do with the yearly tax we pay on cars, called 'Bollo'. It's paid (in my case) to Piedmont, not to Rome, so it depends on having residency. There's no way around it - to own a car here you have to have residency. You can spend €10m on a house but you can't buy a Fiat Panda.
BUT THERE IS A WAY AROUND IT!
I've recently helped several clients buy a car but not have it put in their name. The car dealership I work with is prepared to keep the car in their name, with a secure contract to protect both sides, then once you have your residency you can take full ownership of the car. It's a great solution. It will cost you a little more but it is cheaper than renting a car in the long term.
You can have almost anything you want, more or less. We also work with a Ferrari dealership if you're looking for a supercar.
Just contact me for more details and I'll put you in touch!