How about a free DWG viewer that you can plot with as well as convert down to a version of AutoCAD lower than a file you cannot open with your older version:
http://www.autodesk.com/dwgtrueview
How about a free DWG/DXF/DWF/DGN/JT file format viewer that will allow a user to electronically comment on and/or measure content in those files and return to the file originator for an update:
http://www.autodesk.com/designreview
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