In this paper, we present simulation-based studies of the performance and tradeoffs of cooperative communications in wireless ad-hoc networks. While cooperative schemes can potentially improve throughput performance, this improvement often comes at a price in terms of higher energy consumption and the involvement of additional nodes. As such, we contend that it is worthwhile to consider schemes that adapt to different link conditions such that cooperation is only invoked when necessary. We study these issues quantitatively by looking at the throughput and energy consumption of cooperative and non-cooperative schemes in a 3-node network. In particular, two different modes of cooperation, namely multihop routing and cooperative relaying, are considered. We aim to determine which modes of cooperation work well under a variety of link conditions and how their performances compare against direct transmissions. Our results are uniquely presented through vivid graphical representations, which facilitate visualization and easy comparison between the different transmission modes.