Free AutoCAD alternatives and templates...

So, I’ve got this project I need to knock out in AutoCAD. It's basically some practice assignment for my mechanical engineering course over at Jack at Zion.😁

It's just some basic part with a few symmetries, dimensions, hatching, all that good stuff...
The catch is, I don't actually have AutoCAD installed. So, I've got a few questions for anyone—anyone at all—who might be willing to help me out...🙄

Since my internet speed is absolute garbage right now, and I really wanted to get this exercise done over the break using some kind of CAD software, what would you guys recommend instead of AutoCAD? Like, what tools should I be looking at?!
The newer Autodesk's versions are massive—way too many megabytes for me to try and download on this 56K modem setup. I was thinking maybe an older version of AutoCAD... like the 2000 version, or even something older than that... just something I could actually pull down in an hour or two without losing my mind...

If I were to go after some other program (maybe something free or open source) that's a smaller file size, it really needs to support AutoCAD files—you know, so I can "save as" and actually open them in AutoCAD later. Plus, it needs to recognize the templates I'll need to grab from the web for "AutoCAD."

Man, I've rambled on quite a bit here. Hope I haven't lost the plot entirely...
I honestly don't know the first thing about AutoCAD, and I don't even have the software on my computer yet... Since the campus Wi-Fi is totally dead during the holidays, I'm basically stranded out here in the wilderness...
Help a guy out.👍

Given everything you've listed, your best bet is probably http://www.zwcad.org/. It covers all those requirements and then some, though the main drawback is the download size. I can't recall the exact file size since it’s been a while since I used it, but I doubt it’s small enough to pull down on an old-school dial-up connection.
Regarding other CAD software, I highly doubt there's anything else that fits all those criteria while remaining lightweight enough for a quick download.
That said, as a student, you can pretty much grab almost any version of AutoCAD from http://students.autodesk.com/ provided your university is in their database, which I assume it is. Just keep in mind this is a student edition intended strictly for learning purposes, so printing is disabled and includes a watermark.

Or if you happen to know an architect, just ask them to whip something up for you—honestly, if that’s what you need, I don't see why they wouldn't jump in to help.

So, I finally grabbed ZWCAD. Just finished cleaning up all my Layers, too.
Man, what a slog... barely 30-something MB, but it took me over two hours just to get it all sorted out.

It’s not a massive file at all... which is great. You'll notice the interface is virtually identical to AutoCAD, and honestly, it feels like it even offers more options.

I really need to track down some kind of book on AutoCAD...😁 I don't know, man, I'm just not really feeling it today...

Maybe give the AutoCAD multimedia course from DiviCo a shot.

Actually, I guess you should probably get some hands-on experience with AutoCAD first before diving into the course.
I managed to pick up the basics—you know, a decent intermediate level—in about a week, so you shouldn't have much trouble afterward.

That’s actually a pretty solid idea...

Does anyone happen to know of a decent website where I can find some AutoCAD projects or samples? I'm in a bit of a bind here and need something fast... thanks in advance.