Were any of you originally motivated to commence your PhD by a problem you had recognised and chose PhD research as a route to solving it, and how many were motivated by the kudos of 'being' a Dr, or attracted by the funding available to solve someone elses recognised problem?

I did mine because I was fed up of being in a no-brainer, dead-end job and wanted to use my head for something other than banging on workbenches

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My decision to pursue a PhD rested on the fact that I was uneasy about pursuing a corporate career. I may go into corporate work once I finish my PhD, but my doctorate will give me more flexible career options.

The 'Dr' title is an attractive bonus, but no one should pursue a PhD purely for the 'Dr' title. Frankly, doing a medical degree would be easier!

EDIT: I don't believe many people pursue a PhD because they recognise a problem that needs solving (or someone elses problem), but rather they are generally interested in carving out an academic career for themselves and embark on a PhD because it is a necessary element of such a career.

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I'm afraid I'm one of those people who everyone warns against - who just fell into doing the PhD for want of having anything else lined up (and an aversion to corporate culture), but also because it fit conveniently into other life circumstances. I was genuinely personally and academically interested in the topic I chose, but only a few months earlier had vowed not to do a PhD!
I certainly wouldn't recommend this method. Because I applied at the last minute after I changed my mind, one of the main problems was funding. Much of it has been self-funded. But I have remained interested in the central questions, so am not entirely regretting it. And looking forward of course to being a Dr., the third in the family (but the first of philosophy...), fingers crossed. My little sister beat me to it though;-)
Oh, and I 'm still wondering whether to try to get a job in academia or not.

Well I first thought of a PhD during my undergrad, but it was only after I started honours year that I really thought more about it, and especially after my honours project. So I took a year out working as a research assistant in a similar-but-not-really field and then looked for and found my perfect project. I feel so lucky to have found it (8 months in so far, that could change...). In my field (microbiology) this seems to be a normal progression.

It was the best route for a career change for me, getting back into academia after working in a totally unrelated job for years since I finished my BA. A part-time MA made me realise that was what I really wanted to do and also identified a very interesting area for future research. A very good member of staff at the same uni was keen to supervise me for a PhD after readiing my MA work, so it's all turned out rather well so far!

We've all got tiaras!!